Yes, This Will Be on the Test

If electricity, television and reality shows had existed in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, and if producers were looking for a guaranteed hit, Wife Test would have been just the thing. The premise would be simple and cheap. Send three men in a group to each man's house; at his own home, the man would give his wife an absurd instruction, such as telling her to jump on the table in the middle of dinner and dance a jig. The man whose wife immedi¬ately does as he says wins. The women who questioned, hesitated or refused are punished. The obedient wife receives neither reprimand nor reward— the triumph of her husband is undoubtedly prize enough.

An enterprising young television writer in this hypothetical scenario would not have had to look far for inspiration— all he needs to do is glance at the con¬duct manuals on the family's bookshelves. There would not be many titles to choose from, but if he had sisters, there would be at least a couple volumes to glance through. The young man might find the reading dull— lectures on the importance of modesty and silence— but then his attention might be caught by some of the amusing cautionary tales. Oh, the funny things that could happen when women went astray! The illnesses, blindings, cripplings, poverty and humiliation! And then— pay dirt. Groups of men proving their worth through the dog- like submission of their wives. But since there was no elec¬tricity, television or reality shows at this time, aspiring writers and ordinary people had to content themselves with stories and poems. The “wife test” appears in multiple texts, testifying to the crucial role female virtue played in maintaining male power— if a man could not control his wife or daughters, then what kind of man was he? If they did not submit, his dominance, at home and in society, was threatened. The real loser when a wife failed the test was her husband.

Medieval society was unapologetically patriarchal. Although the popula¬tion is generally characterized as being divided into three groups— those who fight, those who pray and those who labor— the lines were blurry.