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Journal 10
Journal 10
16 April 2026
Cellini is every bit the kind of man who would unironically wear a "The Man, The Myth, The Legend" shirt. Even for an autobiography, Cellini apparently believes he can do no wrong in art, in battle, and even in prison. Interestingly, however, I do not think he explicitly sees himself as a writer. While he attempts to preface his work with a sonnet (xix), he does not pursue his poetry throughout the rest of his prose work. Compared to Dante, whose narcissism is almost completely centred on his ability as a writer, Cellini makes a sad attempt at a humble brag. He has his little sonnet at the beginning, but immediately follows with a description of his first attempt at penning his autobiography as taking up too much of his time and seemingly "utterly pointless" (1). Despite his disparaging, I think Cellini wants to prove himself in authorship as he had in the flute and in goldsmithing, but I suspect he had to admit that literature was not his foremost talent. The disorganized, near-stream-of-consciousness writing which follows includes such boasts of accomplishment in goldsmithing and the flute he despises, but not of his writing. Perhaps the fact of the autobiography's existence is meant to argue Cellini's worth as a literary artist, but even he cannot bring himself to over-praise his writing.
I might be curious, then to know Cellini's thoughts on such great writers as Dante, Vergil, Ovid, and Homer, as Cellini loves to reference the great visual artists, such as Michelangelo, but there is no poet laureate to be found. Perhaps Cellini would instead argue that prose is not so high an art as smithing or the flute, and thus writing his autobiography was not an accomplishment worth many more words.
Journal 9
Journal 9
8 April 2026
Throughout The Book of the Courtier, I am interested in the apparent pressure the characters within the book and Castiglione himself seem to feel to establish clear lines between men and women, their roles and characteristics, &c. The very form of the book being a dialectic reveals many tensions understanding gender and gender roles at the time, as I get whiplash trying to sort through the extreme misogyny and the randomly enlightened perspectives different characters set forth. Gaspare, for example, explains how "the blame for the defects of women must be attributed to Nature [...] to esteem them to be more than they are seems to me to be manifestly wrong," whereas Giuliano argues that, as men and women are both human, "as far as their formal substance is concerned, the male cannot be more perfect than the female [...] I say that everything men can understand, women can too; and where a man's intellect can penetrate, so along with it can a woman's" (217-18).
More interestingly, however, is how inextricable these definitions of men and women are, as Magnifico argues, "although they have in common some qualities, which are as necessary to the man as to the woman, [...] But above all, I hold that a woman should in no way resemble a man as regards her ways, manners, words, gestures and bearing" (211). As I am steeped in Critical Theory at the moment, I see here a glimpse of Jaques Derrida's ideas of differánce, which posits that we can only distinguish things by nature of their not being other things (e.g., the inside is only the inside because it is not the outside), and trace, the idea that "All ideas and all objects of thought and perception bear the trace of other things, other movements, other ‘presences’" (Derrida). It seems our characters can conceive of neither 'man' nor 'woman' in complete isolation, as their definitions rely far more on how they relate to each other. Beyond the basic requirements of sexual reproduction, Castiglione's characters recognize that at least men cannot be full men as they have prescribed without the existence of women as objects of courtly love, for example, or as reasons for such charms as dance and poetry (255-56).
Castiglione is apparently wrapped up in an ongoing societal struggle to prescribe gender and gender roles. I cannot say that struggle has ended, however, as much of the readings on the courtly lady aggressively called to mind Jane Austen's 18th-19th century observations of such gender prescriptions, such as in Mr. Darcy's requirements for an accomplished lady, which in turn was a reaction to such contemporary writings as books of manners. Furthermore, such current movements as the 'trad wife' and 'alpha male' are calling for a return to earlier, more strictly delineated gender roles. Perhaps only the queer movement has successfully countered such ideas as gender roles and their prescription/enforcement. An argument may be made, however, that by the queer movement spawning new language with which to describe gender queer people, that language simply creates a new structure into which gendered expectations are prescribed.
Journal 8
Journal 8
26 March 2026
I had to pause in my reading for today after I went through the Meredith Ray article and the translator's introduction, as my thoughts were crawling under my skin, rumbling with 'The more things change, the more things stay the same.' Throughout the summaries of Cereta's writings, particularly regarding her arguments for women's education, my mind kept turning, expecting to see Mary Wollstonecraft mentioned next. Of course the two were separated by centuries, but Cereta "ridicules most women as vain, empty-headed gossips [...] content in the pleasurable confines of their own subjection" (Ray 27), with which Wollstonecraft was clearly sympathetic in her Vindication of the Rights of Woman, as she observes women have become “only anxious to inspire love, when they ought to cherish a nobler ambition, and by their abilities and virtues exact respect” (Wollstonecraft). While both obviously oppose the dehumanization women suffer by men, they do not refrain from criticizing their fellow women.
Furthermore, Cereta and Wollstonecraft appear perhaps immature in their feminism, when looked back at from the 21st century, as both remain relatively comfortable within their social structure. Cereta "neither focuses her anger on ills within the culture as a whole that perpetrate gender and class inequities nor calls for the overthrow of the patriarchal state" (Robin 12). Similarly, Wollstonecraft founds her argument for women's education in significant part on women's improvement to better fulfill their roles as wives, Christians, and citizens. This complacency, perhaps, or ignorance of the larger structures at play in turn bend my mind towards the modern feminist movement, particularly of Third World Feminists who found no help from those white feminists unwilling to recognize the unique combinations of inequities women of intersecting identities experience.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The opponent too often underestimated is the silent, complacent majority. The apathetic. The ones who 'don't see color.' The ones who don't care what 'they' do, so long as it does not affect them.
In our critical theory class last week on feminism, we discussed the current emergence of 'trad wives,' which often comprise of rich, white, pretty, young, able-bodied, &c. influencers trying to sell a life of wholesome buzzwords and product placements. Cereta and Wollstonecraft may see a liberated woman, one who can finance her own life, one who can access education, one who can speak and be heard. There is so much Cereta and Wollstonecraft did not know. The world was smaller then, I suppose. What is our excuse?
I have no conclusion. Only a jumbled mess of connections and feelings that will never be sorted into a tidy, logical arrangement. But I had to write before the mess slipped completely away.
Journal 7
Journal 7
19 March 2026
Unlike the other days' introductions we have read, the introduction to the fourth day includes quite the monologue from Filostrato, the king for the fourth day. In this monologue, Filostrato tells an additional short story and otherwise waxes philosophical in defense of his love of pleasing women through his short vernacular stories of "the most humble and low style possible" (286). Most striking to me of this introduction is Filostrato's argument for the worth of pursuing the written arts, referring specifically to 'fables,' as the translators have chosen. Railing against those who have told Filostrato "that it would be more practical if I were to consider where my daily bread was coming from rather than go about 'feeding on wind'" (287) with his storytelling, Filostrato argues the following:
But what shall we say about those who feel so much compassion for my hunger that they advise me to find myself a bit of bread to eat? All I know is that if I were to ask myself what their reply would be if I were forced to beg them for a meal, I imagine that they would tell me, 'Go look for it among your fables!' And yet, poets have found more of it in their fables than many rich men have in their treasures, and many more still, by pursuing their fables, have lengthened their lives, while, on the contrary, others have lost them early in the search for more bread than they needed. (291-92)
A noble defense of even "the most humble and low style possible" of literature, Filostrato's characterization calls into question Boccaccio's actual stance on the issue.
Filostrato's very name, for example, etymologically means "overcome by love" (19). While Boccaccio is not so clear cut in his demarcation between his truly virtuous and deeply flawed characters, Filostrato must not rank as a paragon of men, as it is to alleviate "overwhelming passion," "unrestrained desire" (3) that he writes The Decameron. Given Filostrato's damaged position, therefore, Boccaccio may present Filostrato's defense of his fables ironically as the ridiculous words of an overcome man.
I am more inclined, however, to see Filostrato's defense as closer to Boccaccio's own sentiments regarding such writing as he has created in The Decameron. Boccaccio is not likely to be hypocritically devaluing vernacular prose fables in his work of 100 vernacular prose fables.
Furthermore, Boccaccio prefaces this specific excerpt of Filostrato's monologue with some significant and prestigious references. While not yet focusing specifically on the worth of his fables, Filostrato names the poets Guido Cavalcanti, Cino da Pistoia, and Dante Alighieri. A comparison Boccaccio drew between his own vernacular writing to a writer of such caliber as Dante is more likely positive than not. If Dante could write in the vernacular, and Boccaccio is writing in the vernacular, Filostrato's defense of his vernacular fables must be valid rather than ironic.
Boccacio similarly references the Muses heavily in Filostrato's defense of the literary arts, which is always a strong not to the great classics of the Greco-Roman world. While the Muses' female identities muddle their authority to validate Filostrato, and therefore Boccaccio's writing, being goddesses of the classic tradition raises them in this context to somewhat greater than how Boccaccio typically ranks women.
Given Boccaccio's bolstering of Filostrato's defense of his fables and literature writ large with such authoritative references as Dante and the Muses, I suspect he is using Filostrato as a conduit for his own defense of literature, despite what Filostrato represents in The Decameron's framing narrative. Boccaccio thus defies any of his own opponents as Filostrato does, arguing there is more worth in his literary endeavors than in a rich man's treasure, not just in material worth, but in fame.
Journal 6
Journal 6
26 February 2026
As the content of all my classes run together in my head, I was constantly reminded of our critical theory class' discussion on Post-Structuralism, specifically in a quote we discussed from Foucault where he essentially criticises the idea that history happens in a linear fashion. I was reminded of Post-Structuralism as my instinct while reading On Famous Women was to criticise the work for being a poor biography and forgetting that my own ideas of history, biography, and fact are each constructed rather than inherent truths.
I wanted, for example, to call out Boccaccio on telling his reader there was more information but he forgot what he heard or saw. But our critical theory class' discussion of Post-structuralism reminded me that the idea of biography as a kind of authoritative, complete, accurate work is a structure, it does not occur naturally.
Similarly, I wanted to criticise Boccaccio for including fictional and mythological figures, such as Minerva, Athena, and Helen, for what he takes as, to a degree, beings based on real people. I had to remember, however, that when Boccaccio worked on his 'histories,' he had different goals and understandings of biography than I, a modern audience, has. While I might expect a collection of biographies to be more along the lines of a factsheet, including details taken as objective facts, Boccaccio saw his biographies as an opportunity to help women learn to be good people.
I must continue to wrestle with Boccaccio and On Famous Women, therefore, as I continually have to remind myself which constructs I have brought to my reading of the text as a modern Western reader.
Journal 5
Journal 5
12 February 2026
No art is quite as important as that which you love in your early adolescence, when your own individual identity first starts for form, and for better or worse, Dante's Divine Comedy was one such formative piece of art in my 12-14th years of life. Sometime around 6th grade, I had hit a reading rut, but my saviour appeared in the form of a YouTube Channel, Overly Sarcastic Productions, whose comedic little cartoon summaries of mythology, literature, and history turned me on to such works as the Divine Comedy, around which I subsequently formed my first attempts at an individual identity.
Between the comedic introduction I had to Dante and the formative role the epic played in my adolescence, I am equal parts enthused to finally study Dante in a class and surprisingly unprepared.
I fear I find myself approaching Dante with emotions first, with nostalgia and jokes barring me from making new intellectual insights. Laughing at Dante being dragged by the nape of the neck like a hapless kitten by the Very Tired Vergil may bring me endless joy (see the wonderful Gustave Doré illustration of Dante and Sassy Vergil peering at the simonists), but that well-trod road distracts me from interacting with Dante on a more academic level. While I want to come to new conclusions about Dante and particularly his place as a Medieval and proto-Renaissance artist, my mind tells me I have already explored the theology, the mythological references, the Guelph and Ghibelline spat, Dante's biography and his arrogant poet and pitiful pilgrim personas, the structure, the numbers, the subsequent historical and cultural significance, &c. I must remind myself my knowledge is dusty and raw, unformed by any guidance beyond the internet, my teenage mind, and too much free time. I cannot keep retracing the steps I took in 8th grade.
Nevertheless, we persist. One thing I haven't had much opportunity to explore is the original Italian, and though my sad bits of Spanish do not help at the reading level, I appreciate our edition's side-by-side presentation of the original and the translation I have yet to make peace with (Why is Phlegyas saying 'Gotcha' (71) and 'Outta my boat!' (75) like he's a grisled Brooklyn cabbie? Can I get Longfellow back?). Going forward, I hope to learn more from our class, as I reacquaint myself with one of my favourite weird little guys from history and literature.
Journal 4
Journal 4
5 February 2026
One of the things I did not have a chance to discuss in our seminar about Margery Kempe was the boldness with which she drew parallels between her experience and those recorded in scripture, particularly because many of the moments in scripture she echos are the experiences of men, and she, of course, was a woman and a layperson to boot. While the question of translation of both Kempe's book and the Bible making the word choice debatable is very much in my mind, I found some of the parallels distinct.
In Chapter 6, for example,"the creature fell down on her knees with great reverence and great weeping and said, 'I am not worthy, my lady, to do you service,' (Kempe 22) which strongly resembles the exchange between the faithful centurion and Jesus in Matthew 8:8, who declared he was not worthy that Jesus should enter under his roof, and John the Baptist's announcement that one was coming after him whose sandal strap he was not worthy to undo (Mk 1:7). Be the comparison either the faithful centurion or John the Baptist himself, it seems it would have been audacious, if not downright foolhardy, of Kempe to compare herself to these worthy men of the Gospel.
Again, perhaps these comparisons are a stretch, but if not, some other parallels Kempe establishes must have been nearly heretical, as I think it may be fair to infer that the medieval church would not handle a laywoman writing in her life story parallels to Jesus himself. Once again in Ch. 6, for example, St. Anne says to Kempe "follow me---I am well pleased with your service," (Kempe 22), which strongly echoes the words of God the Father in Matthew's account of the Baptism of Jesus, wherein a voice from the heavens calls Jesus his beloved son, with whom he is well pleased (Mt 3:17). Beyond similar words said to Kempe, later narrative details of Kempe's experiences also resemble those of Jesus. In Ch. 15, for example, Kempe is questioned by local religious authorities, and through the grace of Jesus, "her answers pleased the Bishop very much, and the clerks were astonished that she answered so readily and pregnantly," (Kempe 38--39), very similarly to the events in Luke's story of the boy Jesus in the temple whose answers astounded the learned religious around him (Lk 2:47). Finally, of our readings, I noted how Kempe's arrival in Jerusalem specifies how she arrived riding on an ass (Kempe 70), which is a direct, indisputable reference to Jesus' triumphant entry in Jerusalem riding on an ass (Mt. 21:1-7, Mk 11:1-7, Lk 19:28-35, Jn. 12:14).
Perhaps I have overstated these similarities in the words of Kempe and the Gospels, but if they are true, perhaps this blurring of the lines delineating women from men of faith were an exacerabting addition to Kempe's already 'threatening' existence to the male religious leaders of England. While, of course, Kempe also lends particular attention on Mary and Mary Magdalene in her book, these instances particularly stood out to me as parallels that must have been particularly unusual for a lay woman to be drawing in the late medieval period. Ultimately, the men of the Gospels with whom Kemp draws parallels with her own life were the reasoning for the Church to grant only men paths to religious authority. Kempe must therefore have been either very brave or very foolish to assert herself as having such experiences that echoed those of the notable men of the Gospel, including, but not limited to Jesus himself. How Kempe got printed rather than burned for heresy must be its own fascinating story.
Journal 3
Journal 3
29 January 2026
The Prioress' Tale reiterates a focus on Mary that caught my attention in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as well. I believe I have heard something or other about different increases in Marian cult(s) throughout Christian history, but without conducting an entire research project on the topic, I have to content myself with more surface-level analysis at this point. Between the two works, we now have both men and women with a particular devotion to Mary, and my post-counter-cultural movement mind wants so badly view these Marian devotions with a pro-feminist lens. I want so badly for Mary to have been lauded even in the middle ages as a woman strong enough to place all her faith in God, despite any dangers to herself; who was raised in honor above all other humans, excepting only Jesus himself; who could tell Jesus the actual Christ to go do something and he would do it.
Unfortunately for my female empowerment version of Mary, she is best known for 1) her Virgin birth, and 2) her fiat (rather than her survival by the grace of God of her precarious social position as a poor, pregnant, unmarried Jewish woman in first-century Palestine). Mary, then, is not so much a strong woman who overcame threats of bodily harm and social exile to be a guardian and guide to Jesus, but a meek, humble, and devoted virgin. I must presume that the medieval Englishman, then, more likely saw Mary as a model for women to be chaste and virtuous and submissive to the will of authority, i.e., a notably masculine God. Ultimately, I suppose I oughtn't have been surprised Mary had such a cult following amongst the saint-crazed medieval Christians who loved a good miracle story and a submissive woman.
Journal 2
Journal 2
22 January 2026
Shifting from Gawain and the Green Knight to The Canterbury Tales, I have noticed a shift in the depth of characterization. Being more well-versed in literature from approximately Shakespeare and later, reading the earlier Aurthurian tale felt more like seeing archetypes and symbolic figures moving through an allegory more than reading a story with complex characters as I find in later novels. Although Gawain had his one moment of weakness, he otherwise appeared to be a young, idealistic, and nearly perfect model of a chivalric knight. This flatness of character is a symptom, I presume, of the genre and the style of the time, but I find myself more interested already in the pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.
Even in the general prologue, Chaucer reveals each pilgrim is not exactly as they seem, laying out their position, their appearance, and their flaws. Although these characters are literal archetypes, with approximately none of the pilgrims having a name that is not their primary occupation or otherwise their place in society, I find most of the pilgrims to have more complexity in their character. The men and women of faith and justice are often greedy and even lustful, and every other character is running something like a ponzi scheme on their superiors. One of the characters I found most interesting was the Prioress is described more like a noblewoman in disguise with her well-fed purse dogs than a cloistered nun. With only a few pilgrims excepted due to very brief introductions or explicit descriptions of their goodness, such as in the cases of the Parson and his brother, the Plowman, Chaucer's wayward characters are already more complex and interesting to me than Gawain's more perfectly heroic character.
Journal 1
Journal 1
15 January 2026
Since I took ENLT 317 with Prof. Williamson in the spring of 2024, I had all but forgotten about my ePortfolio, so much so that I was surprised I still had the site buried in my Google Drive. Now being a bit older and hopefully a bit wiser, I aim to flesh out the site more thoroughly. Before, I had simply used this site to post my journal entries, as that was was the course required. This time, however, I am approaching the ePortfolio with a greater appreciation for keeping my work as a record of my growth. I am setting for myself a goal, therefore, to accumulate on the site a more comprehensive portfolio of my work so I might refer back to the site as evidence of my learning and growth at SMC.
I plan to focus my showcased work on projects and papers from my major classes, as that will be most relevant to me as I continue my learning and growth. If I'm being particularly ambitious, I may also plan to keep this portfolio beyond graduation, as it may have use as an example of a portfolio or Google Sites as a tool that I might refer back to in my early years teaching English. As of now, that is only an idea, however, and for the time being, I hope to create a more robust display of my undergraduate work to refer back to for my own reflection on my growth.
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