From the Medieval Studies Research Blog: "Teaching Consent: More Lessons from the Wife of Bath"

On this day three years ago, my first contribution to the Medieval Studies Research Blog, in which I connected the "Wife of Bath’s Tale" with contemporary rape culture, was published. In December 2017, the #MeToo movement was gaining momentum, and the survivors of sexual violence were thrust into the media spotlight. But while the public eye was focused on the victims who came forward in record numbers, Brock Turner, the former Stanford University student who was caught raping an unconscious 22-year-old woman in 2015, was attempting to have his multiple felony sexual assault convictions overturned. With “The Silence Breakers” taking center stage, we barely noticed when Turner was trying to sneak out the back door.  

Witnessing how our collective gaze fixated on victims, I felt that the "Wife of Bath’s Tale" had something valuable to teach us about shifting our attention to the perpetrators of sexual violence and social reformation. I still do. So today, I return to the tale to consider how we can actively create a culture of consent. Rather than concentrating on violence, I want to highlight how the tale emphasizes education as a critical component of cultural reformation. After all, it is through education that the rapist knight is reformed in the tale. 

This is an excerpt from “Teaching Consent: More Lessons from the Wife of Bath” written by Emily McLemore, Ph.D. Candidate in English. Read the full story.