Abstract:In general, medieval literary beards represent a positive element of masculinity: the more magnificent the beard, the more magnificent the man. This link between physical attributes and masculine capability can be traced from the twelfth-century Holy Land to fifteenth-century England. Thomas Malory, in two separate episodes of the Morte d’Arthur , presents villainous figures who threaten King Arthur’s beard. These beard-related episodes both mark Arthur’s passage from an inexperienced boy-king to a proven lead… Show more
Set email alert for when this publication receives citations?
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.