Medieval "Chick-Lit"?

I think the most interesting thing about the “Courtly Love” readings was learning that it was a genre that was most enjoyed by women (and was, in some respects, empowering to women – at least compared to the rest of the literature being written at the time), and was also on some level looked down upon by the majority of “intelligent” society (i.e. those who read things in Latin). While this genre was obviously very different from how we view the romantic genre today, it’s fascinating to see how some of the fundamentals of the current romance genre seem to have been present even then.

While I don’t condone the terms, “chick-flick” and “chick-lit” are obviously popular ways not only to refer to stories devoured by women, but also to imply that because they are produced for a female audience, they are somehow lesser. Roger Ebert put it perfectly in a 2007 film review: “As a man, I would hate to have my tastes condescended to by the opposite of Chick Lit, which, according to Gloria Steinem, is Prick Lit.” Oftentimes, anything novel or film that focuses on a romance (or really, just something involving a woman at all) is considered to be a piece of chick-lit of chick-flick, and thus gets viewed as somehow less legit a piece of media. 

For example, Jane Austen is my favorite writer, in part because of her complex and multifaceted stories, and also yes, the romances she writes. I have often told this to people and received multiple eye rolls, as all as some comment along the lines of, “so you’re into girly chick stuff.” As though because she wrote about romance, Austen is somehow less of a writer.

Obviously, the connection doesn’t work out perfectly, since the initial reason for Courtly Love not being seen as real literature came from the fact that it was written in French instead of Latin. Personally, knowing how society usually works, I think the fact that these stories were primarily read by women likely didn’t help their reputation.

It’s pretty unsurprising that women were particularly interested in stories in which they play an active role, and that can again translate to the media of today: yes, women are more interested in stories in which they are viewed as actual human beings, as opposed to sexy props. And oftentimes, the films that focus on the minds and actions of women are labeled the derogatory “chick-flick,” simply for daring to be about a chick.

Again, I do not believe that this is a perfect comparison by any means – I really don’t think that the Courtly Love stories were likely very feminist, at least by today’s standards. But I do find the similarities to be interesting, since a lot of the themes currently important to the consumption of romance seem to have been there from the beginning.