On this and the following two web pages, I will discuss kissing in Medieval Literature. In class we have discussed the function of kissing in the words we’ve read, ranging from ideas like courtly love to power and control. There are many different ways to analyze kissing in Literature. The two that come to mind are queer theory and feminist theory. For these articles, however, instead of reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Book of Margery Kempe through a sexual lens, I will focus on the function of kissing in the works we have read. As I work through these two pieces, I aim to desexualize the act of kissing in the Medieval Literature we have read so that readers can look at Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Margery Kempe through a more open-minded, pure lens. I want to explore the function of kissing in individual stories. Some forms of kissing may be sexual, but I want to focus on the idea that kissing is not inherently sexual.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
The two stories I will be engaging with in my essays are Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and The Book of Margery Kempe. I have noticed that although kissing is a central part of some medieval texts, the underlying tones are often intricate and thought provoking. Kissing is central to the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but the physical act is overlooked and underplayed throughout the story. Although kissing was what led Sir Gawain to his big downfall, the kisses are treated as innocent. When I think of older cultures, I think of any kind of physical intimacy such as kissing as dirty and sinful. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, however, kissing is described with words such as “desire” and “gift.” The word desire at first makes kissing seem like a sexual act in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, but when it is juxtaposed with the light-hearted descriptions of the kissing, it is seen as much more of a pure act. Throughout Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the kisses seem to be integral to the story, but the reader is often pondering what these kisses mean, if anything.
The Book of Margery Kempe
In Margery Kempe, there are often sexual imaginings that go through the main characters thoughts. I will explore her visions and argue that although the story and Margery’s feelings about Jesus Christ can be seen as sexual on the surface, when the reader looks more closely and sympathizes with the main character, they can see Margery’s feelings and the kissing in the story as signs of devotion and pure love.
Overall, I want to look at the descriptive words around kissing scenes in these texts and use those words to pull meaning from the actions of kissing in the stories. In our modern society, everything is so sexualized that our brains are trained to pull sex out of all the media we are exposed to; I would like to challenge that. I will not argue that there are not sexual ideas in these works or try to erase the sexuality of characters from the texts, but I want to challenge readers not to jump to the conclusion that any act of physical intimacy is inherently sexual without exploring the possibility that these physical acts, specifically kissing, can be perceived as innocent and good-natured.