Catherine, Called Birdy

The novel addresses the constraints placed on women during the medieval period. Discuss how these constraints are portrayed through Birdy's interactions with other female characters. How do these women accept, resist, or navigate their societal roles?

• How do the responses of Birdy and other female characters to societal constraints differ?
• What motivates the female characters to either conform to or resist societal expectations?
• How does social class impact the way female characters experience and respond to societal constraints?
• Considering the historical context of the novel, how realistic are the portrayals of female resistance or acceptance of societal roles?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt connects to the theme The Restrictive Roles of Gender and Class in the Medieval Era. You may wish to identify certain female characters for this prompt and use a graphic organizer with the headings “Conform to Gender Roles” and “Resist Gender Roles.” Examples could include Birdy, Birdy’s mother, Aelis, Morwenna, and Joanna. 

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

“Medieval Diary”

In this activity, students will assume the persona of a character from the novel and create their own medieval diary entries.

In Catherine, Called Birdy, the reader sees all the events through Birdy’s eyes.