Editing Arts and Majesty

|type=Treatise

|related=[[Vorinism]]

|universe=[[Cosmere]]

'''''Arts and Majesty''''' is an ancient work of [[Roshar]]an literature that has come to define the [[Vorinism|Vorin]] ideas of masculine and feminine arts.{{book ref|sa2|25}}{{wob ref|6245}} It defines certain topics and practices as feminine or masculine; the feminine arts are generally those that can be practiced with a single hand, while the masculine arts involve both hands, associating delicacy with women and brute force with men.{{wob ref|4447}} The idea of the [[safehand]] comes from this distinction between one-handed and two-handed arts.{{wob ref|6245}}

== History ==

{{quote

|A woman wanting to come to the battlefield was like … well, like a man wanting to read. Unnatural.

|Dalinar{{book ref|sa1|26}}

}}

''Arts and Majesty'' was written by a female artist{{wob ref|6245}}{{wob ref|4447}} well before the [[Day of Recreance]].{{wob ref|900}} It may not have had much influence on culture before the Recreance; soon afterward, however, some men in power came across it and began emphasizing it to justify keeping [[Shardblade]]s and [[Shardplate]] away from women.{{wob ref|5898}}{{wob ref|12662}} As retaliation, a movement of women ensured that writing and literacy moved fully into the domain of women.{{wob ref|6245}} [[Hoid]] jokingly observed that the female author of the treatise made sure to categorize "fun" activities as feminine, while leaving more dangerous activities to the men.{{book ref|sa2|55}}

The division between masculine and feminine arts became part of Vorin culture over the next few decades{{wob ref|900}} and remained solidly in place thousands of years later, with the safehand and the femininity of writing being especially prominent in day-to-day life. ''Arts and Majesty'' itself also stayed well-known despite its age, at least among upper-class lighteyes.{{book ref|sa2|25}} The division in duties was among the reasons that the Alethi set up large warcamps on the [[Shattered Plains]] where families could live, as women were in charge of various essential household functions.{{book ref|sa1|28}}

In modern Vorin culture, practices that were explicitly mentioned in ''Arts and Majesty'' could be considered "prime" or "major" arts.{{wob ref|6245}} The gender division of these arts was strictly adhered to, and even simple interest in an art of the opposite gender was thought of as "unnatural".{{book ref|sa1|26}} In some cases, the distinction between the arts moved beyond a mere cultural norm and gained religious overtones; men who could write, for example, could actually be seen as blasphemous and not just strange.{{book ref|sa2|12}} [[Ardent]]s were considered genderless and could technically pursue the arts of either gender.{{book ref|sa1|33}} However, cultural norms still influenced ardents; for example, it was rare for a female ardent to practice swordsmanship.{{book ref|sa2|44}}

Practices that were not categorized by ''Arts and Majesty'' could generally be performed by anyone.{{book ref|sa2|25}} Arts that combine a masculine and feminine discipline—such as carving, which has elements of both carpentry and art—could be practiced by men, women, or a team of both depending on their personal faith and interpretation of the doctrine.{{wob ref|13919}} If a new art was developed, church leaders and traditionalists would likely have discussions about how to categorize it.{{wob ref|13264}}

The re-emergence of female [[Knights Radiant]] who capably wield [[Shardblade]]s has challenged Vorin notions of female propriety.{{book ref|sa3|9}} Some lighteyes have proved that they can quickly adapt to the notion of a female military commander.{{book ref|sa3|73}}

== Arts ==

{{columns|count=2|

}}

=== Feminine ===

* reading and writing{{book ref|sa1|3}}

* painting and drawing{{book ref|sa1|5}}

* science{{book ref|sa1|3}} (e.g., zoology, botany, and natural history){{book ref|sa1|7}}

* logic{{book ref|sa1|3}}

* playing musical instruments{{book ref|sa1|57}}

=== Masculine ===

* combat{{book ref|sa1|26}}

* tactics{{book ref|sa3|39}}

* politics{{book ref|sa3|65}}

* carpentry{{book ref|sa1|31}}

* commerce{{book ref|sa1|8}}

=== Unspecified/Neutral ===

* horseback riding and the care of horses{{book ref|sa2|25}}

* knitting{{wob ref|6564}}

* singing{{book ref|sa1|57}}{{book ref|row|76}}

== Trivia ==

* The idea of the safehand and the division between one-handed and two-handed arts arose from [[Brandon]]'s fascination with different taboos across real-life cultures.{{wob ref|5898}}

* Brandon acknowledges that it is relatively easy to find examples wherein maintaining the one-handed limitation of the feminine arts would be illogical for everyday life; however, he notes that real-life cultural norms can also be impractical.{{wob ref|13264}}

* LEGO building would probably be considered a feminine art; since it is difficult to do one-handed, though it might end up being mostly done with two hands behind the scenes anyway.{{wob ref|13264}}

{{complete|[[User:Big Smooth|Big Smooth]] ([[User talk:Big Smooth|talk]]) 18:53, 12 October 2020 (UTC)}}