Male Bonding, Female Body: The Absenting of Woman in “Bisclaretz ljóð” 1

In the presence of a woman who can be seen as pitiable or contemptible, men are able to exchange power and to confirm each other's value even in the context of the remaining inequalities in their power. The sexually pitiable or contemptible female figure is a solvent that not only facilitates the relative democratization . . . but goes a long way—for the men she leaves bonded