Media Check!

Simply stated, chivalric romances have their own amount of importance. Were they a little bit cheesy? (More than a little…) Yes. But that doesn’t change the fact they have shaped our views on love & relationships.

If it wasn’t for chivalry, we wouldn’t have the rules for relationships that we do now. Men are expected to respect & swoon ladies & ladies are supposed to be gentle, kind souls with hot, hot bodies. Okay, that was a bit hyperbole-d, but they did have a lot of expectations on both ends. For example, check how they describe Lanval’s “hot elf lover”:

“This was how the maiden dressed up:
Of white linen, her camisole
Was made so that it showed both whole
Sides, shining where it laced up.
Her body was slim, long-waisted, tall,
Her neck was whiter than fresh snow-fall.
Grey were her eyes, white her face,
Lovely her mouth, nose in the right place,
Brown eyebrows, forehead smooth and fair,
Bright blond, crisply curling hair--
The radiant light of pure gold thread
Fades by the brightness of her head.”


Um… if you ask me, she sounds pretty disgusting but hey, everyone needs love. It later talks about how all the men did basically everything but hoop, holler & pat Lanval on the back for scoring such a babe.

Looking beyond that though, I would say that this scene can be tied back to our culture today. Even in those times, the rules were set for women. They had a social standard that they were expected to meet. The media affects how we view ourselves, & weren’t the minstrels a form of media? Songs & stories about thin, ghostly, blonde women with perfect noses are no different that images of skin & bones, orange tanned, blonde women with straight hair & perfect noses. Just think about it: w many girls think they need to be thinner? That they are fat lards who should throw up every meals & that no man will ever love her for her “full figured” self?

I’d say, if it weren’t for chivalry, & chivalric romances specifically, we wouldn’t have such self image problems. We might, just might, be happier with who we are, inside & out.