The Garden as Woman's Space in Twelfth- and Thirteenth Century Literature

The purpose of this study is to examine a few literary gardens of romance from the close of the 12th to the first half of the 13th century in light of the development of the figure of the enclosed garden as a female space that is not owned by a man, but rather by the woman who inhabits it. In this scenario the woman is consistently seen as other, while the narrative directs the reader's attention to the point of view of the man who is confronted with this inverted state of affairs. This unnatural situation sets up a power play between the genders that will be resolved only once the woman and her garden are brought to heel. The exception to this rule is the Virgin Mary, whose wonderful garden possesses no unnaturalness or witchcraft, for its exceptional qualities are a manifestation of the Virgin's perfection.