This is a rather delightful analysis that puts a different interpretation on the motif of “Christ as bridegroom” for virgin saints. I like the idea of Katherine as simply resisting marriage in general as unnecessary and only belatedly realizing that holy virginity was a tool she could employ to that end. Or rather, that this interpretation could be developed by medieval writers in the context of popularizing marriage resistance outside the convent. I rather like that there is room in this medieval text for the idea that a woman could be whole and complete and a participant in society without the need for marriage--indeed, viewing a husband as superfluous. To be fair, the Saint Katherine of this version of her legend is depicted with a sort of "wink wink, she's actually having a premonition of Christ" but within the story-context, her attitude is, "Eh, men, who needs them?" And whether or not the author felt that Christ-free singlehood was truly a viable option, it's a concept and a motif that was presented to the audience with the expectation that they wouldn't find it unbelievable. (Or at least, not more unbelievable than any of the other things one finds in saints' biographies.)
Comments