Chaucer in Context: Society, Allegory, and GenderManchester University Press, 1996 - 205 pages Whilst the Canterbury Tales are universally acknowledged as one of the great texts of English literature, there is perhaps less critical agreement about their meaning than for any other work in the English literary canon. In particular, critics and historians have been unable to reach any consensus about the social, political and religious values which Chaucer favoured. Did his writings represent a challenge to the dominant social outlook of his day or were they intended to reinforce the contemporary status quo? Was Chaucer a poet of profound religious piety or a sceptic who questioned all religious and moral certainties? Was he a defender of women or a misogynist whose writings reproduced the antifeminism characteristic of his time? How do Chaucer's works relate to medieval ideas about the nature and purposes of poetry? Do his pilgrims reflect the social reality of his day or were they the expression of traditional literary conventions? |
Table des matières
reallife observation versus literary convention | 1 |
Monologic versus dialogic Chaucer | 18 |
Allegorical versus humanist Chaucer | 78 |
Droits d'auteur | |
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accept actually Aers allegorical allow approach argued argument attempts authority Bakhtin become Biblical body Canterbury Canterbury Tales century Certainly chapter characters Chaucer Chauntecleer Christ Christian Church claims clerical context conventions Cooper depicted dialogic discourse English expression fact fall final Friar historical human husband ideal instance interpretation John Knight's Tale late literal literary literature Mann marriage meaning medieval Miller Minnis misogyny monologic moral nature Nun's Priest's Tale offer Palamon Parson particular patristic critics Pearsall perspective pilgrims poet political possible presented Prologue Prudence readers reality reason refers reject represent result rhetoric Robertson satire says seems seen sense shows Similarly simply social society specific speech spiritual suffering takes tells theory Theseus things told traditional truth Virgin virtue voice whilst Wife Wife of Bath Wife's woman women writers