Gender Violence in Late Antiquity: Male Fantasies and the Christian Imagination
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Description
Gender Violence in Late Antiquity confronts the violent ideological frameworks underpinning the early Christian imagination, arguing that gender-based violence is not peripheral but is fundamental to understanding early Christian history. By analyzing hagiographical and doctrinal writings, Jennifer Barry reveals how male authors used portrayals of feminized suffering to shape ideals of sanctity and power, exploiting themes of domestic abuse, martyrdom, and sexualized violence to reinforce their visions of piety. The study first traces the roots of gendered violence within the Greco-Roman and early Christian imagination, and then explores the disturbing role of male fantasies and dreams in hagiographical traditions. Barry draws on womanist scholarship and engages with trauma studies and feminist horror theory in order to challenge traditional readings of Christian texts, offering new perspectives for understanding how narratives of violence continue to shape contemporary interpretations of gender and power.
ISBN
9780520423510
Publication Date
2025
Publisher
University of California Press
City
Oakland
Keywords
Women, Christianity, Violence, Feminism, Fantasies
Disciplines
Christianity | Gender and Sexuality | Women's Studies
Recommended Citation
Barry, Jennifer, "Gender Violence in Late Antiquity: Male Fantasies and the Christian Imagination" (2025). Cultural and Philosophical Inquiry Books. 6.
https://scholar.umw.edu/cpr_books/6