Venomous Tongues: Speech and Gender in Late Medieval England

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Contents
Introduction: Speech, Gender, and Power in Late Medieval England
The Status of Late Medieval English Women: \'Golden Age\' vs. \'Patriarchal Equilibrium\'
Scholarship on Speech and Scolding
How We Know about Illicit Speech
1. \'Sins of the Tongue\' and Social Change
\'Sins of the Tongue\' and the State
The Popularization of the \'Sins of the Tongue
Common Associations among \'Sins of the Tongue\'
2. The Sins of Women’s Tongues in Literature and Art
Women’s Voices in Prescriptive Literature and Art
Women’s Voices in Narrative Art and Literature
Women and Good Speech
3. Women’s Voices and the Law
Hues and Cries
Defamation
The Emergence of Scolding as a Legal Category
Scolding as a Female Crime
4. Men’s Voices
Men’s Voices and the Risk of Effeminacy
Swearwords as Deeds
Male Speech as Deeds in the Courts
Male Scolds
5. Communities and Scolding
Definitions of Scolding and Elements of the Crime
Jurisdictional Variation
Sensitive Officials
Geographic and Administrative Connections
6. Who Was a Scold?
Scolding and Marital Status
Scolding and Socioeconomic Status
Scolding and Other Crimes
Conclusion: Consequences of the Feminization of Deviant Speech
Consequences for Individuals: The Punishment of Scolds
Broader Consequences: Women’s Voices and Women’s Power
Why Illicit Speech Was Feminized
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments