Peering into the shadows: using the four branches of the Mabinogi to explore perceptions of women in medieval Welsh society

There is a lack of sources for medieval Wales, and for the lives of women in particular. The objective of this dissertation, therefore, is to establish whether a close reading of the Mabinogi can provide any detail about the ways medieval Welsh women were perceived by their contemporaries. The nature of the text is discussed and the potential limitations of using works of fiction as primary sources are considered. Gender roles and the place of women in society are examined, before looking at how pervasive the Welsh Law of Women might have been in everyday life. The representation of women’s emotions in the text is also appraised. The conclusion reached is about where the Four Branches of the Mabinogi fit into the larger body of work acting as conduct literature created to control and manipulate women’s behaviour

Name dc:type.qualificationname

ma

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Year dc:date.issued

2018

Author dc:creator

• O’Donoghue, Stephanie

Dc Identifier Grantnumber

UWTSD

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:1714