Two late medieval documents stand out from the small and mixed collection of writings in which the medieval English female superior is depicted, namely the euology for Euphemia and Chaucer's late fourteenth-century piece describing Eglentyne, the prioress in his Canterbury Tales. Even at a cursory glance Eglentyne fails miserably to emulate the ideal represented by Euphemia. If Chaucer's image is based on reality there was a serious decline in the standard of religious service performed by female superiors in the later Middle Ages; but its validity as a representation of the ‘typical’ female superior of the later period is open to question.

Comparisons

The medieval English nunnery head is mentioned in a few other extant medieval works, though references to her are brief in these writings. Through Piers Plowman, William Langland expresses outrage at the hypocrisy of several religious groups, and though less vitriolic about the nuns he paints an unsavoury picture of the female house. The prioress of the convent in the poem escapes specific censure, but she is rendered guilty by implication. Malory in his Arthurian work presents a contrasting image of the medieval superior. Guinevere is a chastened woman, having repented of her adultery with Lancelot and entered a nunnery, where she is now abbess, while striving to do penance for her sins. The Langland and Malory pieces to some extent counterbalance each other in their portrayal of the convent superior, though they represent different periods.