Philological quarterly · 1997 · 21 citations · 0 references
HumanitiesGender StudiesLiteratureLiterary CriticismLiterary StudiesLiterary TheoryFeminist CriticismFeminist Literary CriticismFeminist LiteratureGender CriticismGender In LiteraturePoeticsChristian DoctrineChristian ExegesisGender As PerformanceGender Performativity TheoryGender Role PerformancePatriarchy In LiteratureWomen's Representation In Literature
The performances of Christ in the text of The Dream of the Rood construct a masculinity for Christ that is majestic, martial, and specifically heterosexual and that relies on a fragile opposition with a femininity defined as dominated Other in the figure of the Cross. His particularly constructed masculinity, explored rather than merely assumed or revered, adds a new dimension of gendered heterosexuality to our understanding of this Old English poem.