Fictions of Fatherhood : Fatherhood in Late Medieval English Gentry and Mercantile Letters and Romances

This thesis takes a finnly interdisciplinary approach to the subject of late medieyal
fatherhood. It investigates the ideology of fatherhood, as well as the relationships
between fathers and their sons and daughters, both legitimate and illegitimate, and also
their stepchildren. In doing this it not only illuminates a previously unexplored aspect of
family life, but also demonstrates the importance of fatherhood in male identity
formation, and so expands the current understanding of medieval masculinities. As its
source material this thesis uses Middle English romances and fifteenth-century gentry
and mercantile letters. Rather than attempting a survey of late medieval fatherhood, this
thesis concentrates on 'fictions' of fatherhood - the constructed worlds of letters and
romances. Whilst letters and romances may reflect reality, and in the case of letters in
particular may provide details of even the most mundane realities, they are strongly and
self-consciously generic. The narrative of the romance is very important, but the story is
also the means by which ideas are transmitted. Likewise the fonns of letters, whilst used
to transmit practical details, are also a way of encapsulating ideological perspectives.
This thesis is principally about ideas of fatherhood, and thus illuminates late medieval
perceptions of fathers and their functions. The Introduction presents current scholarship
and the source material. Chapter 1 argues that fatherhood was a defining aspect of
establishing an adult male identity. Chapter 2 is concerned with fathers and sons, and
engages closely with the specific vocabulary of fatherhood. Chapter 3 uses the fatherdaughter
relationship to consider the nature of patriarchal authority. Chapter 4 looks at
'outsiders' - stepchildren and bastards - to consider how far stretched the bonds of
fatherhood. The Conclusion raises areas for further research.