O'Brien, Timothy D.
Chaucer Review 33 (1998): 157-67.
In KnT, Chaucer's use of the word "queynte," the dying and quickening fires in the temple, and the spurting and spewing of the flames to "suggest parturition, life's uncertainty and tenuousness and even menstruation." Emelye's tears at the sight of…
The blacksmith is an ambiguous figure. Medieval blacksmiths often worked at night because the temperature was cooler, but ordinances forbade them to do so. Furthermore, although the medieval blacksmith was a symbol of the devil, he was also a symbol…
Russell, J. Stephen.
Chaucer Review 33 (1998): 176-89.
By electing not to include the exact text of "O Alma Redemptoris Mater" (of which there were several versions) in PrT, Chaucer forces the audience to think through issues of verbal prayer vs. prayers of the heart that express the intent behind the…
Goldstein, R. James.
Chaucer Review 33 (1998): 31-42.
Places the anti-Scottish legendary history of MLT into English historiographic tradition, especially Trevet's Chronicle. Argues that Chaucer implicitly supports England's claim to the overlordship of Scotland, a claim renewed by Henry IV and…
Moore, Marilyn L. Reppa.
Chaucer Review 33 (1998): 43-59
Troilus's character should be viewed not in the light of medieval romance but within the context of medieval "devotion," such as that advocated in St. Anselm's "Proslogion." It is more important to realize that Troilus learned to love with constancy…
The reference to "Symoun" alludes not to Simon Magus (as previously suggested) but to Simon the Apostle, whose connections with sin and confession advance some of the larger themes of SumT.
Bertolet, Craig E.
Chaucer Review 33 (1998): 66-89.
Chaucer's envoys should be examined not within the context of history but within the context of the art of letter writing, the medieval concept of friendship, and the description of late medieval diplomacy. Chaucer's is a "public stance," which…
McKinley, Kathryn L.
Chaucer Review 33 (1998): 90-111.
The concept of piety was complex and problematic during the Middle Ages, and Chaucer's refusal to align himself with one side or the other in ClT is distressing. Griselda is neither a paradigm for lay sanctity nor an ironic or satiric character.
Erler, Mary C.
Chaucer Review 33 (1999): 221-29, 1999.
Manuscripts used as copy by printers are scarce. An examination of MS Bodley 638 reveals both codicological and textual evidence that discloses the printers' intentions. The 1530 edition of PF, used by Robert Copland, was established from this…
Knowing Boethian philosophy (as Chaucer intended his audience to do) enables the reader of TC to gain a double perspective, both inside and outside the temporal limits of the text. This position is analogous to God's position and allows one to…
Chaucer's rhyming of "sike" with "endite" (TC 2.884 and 2.886) is likely a scribal mistake."Lite" is more consistent with Chaucer's linguistic habits and forms a perfect rhyme. In line 2.936, "yeden" is placed to rhyme with "dede," while an…
MLT can be seen as an exposition and justification of the medieval Christian providential view of history. The concern with exemplifying this theory governs the teller's choice of source and emphasis. It is ironic that the Tale's philosophy can be…
The alchemists' discourse echoes Chaucer's, and one might serve as a "metaphor for the other." Alchemists, like poets, were concerned with interpretations of the written word and with concealment.
ParsT is the best of the CT to choose for a survey class. It provides a link with ancient and modern literature, reflects the thinking of the major writers in medieval England, and interweaves the previous themes and images of CT.
The riddle at the end of FranT-who is the most "fre"?-distracts the reader from the central issues of the Tale, namely the concept of the "Real" (Pierre Macherey) and questions of gender. Although Dorigen is apparently excluded from the answer to the…
Collette, Carolyn P.
Chaucer Review 33: 350-62, 1999.
Although Chaucer's "circle" has generally been considered wholly masculine, it may well have included contemporary women such as Joan of Kent. Joan was a prosperous and powerful woman, an interceder and a mediator: a model for a character such as…
Chaucer uses East and West to signify differences in storytelling in MLT: chivalric vs. travel romance; hagiography vs. history; linear narrative vs. apostrophe and prayer. Chaucer leads his readers to see the Tale as "trapped in Western chauvinism,"…
This line from PF has been taken to mean that the "stare" (magpie) divulges secrets, or betrays. However, "bewrye" can also mean "cover up," suggesting that the bird knows "how to keep a secret." Such a nuance could also apply to TC; Troilus's…
Wolfe, Matthew C.
Chaucer Review 33: 427-31, 1999.
It is possible that Ret was written as a general work, found among the papers and drafts of CT, and then put at the end of that work by scribes and early editors. If thought to apply to Chaucer's entire corpus, Ret broadens our view of the poet as a…
Walker, Warren S.
Chaucer Review 33: 432-37, 1999.
Turkish tales that parallel the folkloric formula at the end of FranT-"Which was the noblest act?"-generally treat who is the most ignoble. So many Turkish stories fall into this category that Chaucer's Knight may have "previewed a performance"…
Mooney, Linne R.
Chaucer Review 34 (2000): 344-49, 2000.
A copy of William Caxton's first edition of "Dictes or Sayeingis of the Philosophres" (1477) contains three hand-written poems on the flyleaf. One of these, Chaucer's Wom Unc, has been rewritten, perhaps by a woman, to suggest that men may be just as…
In BD, Chaucer complicates the chess metaphor by adding the concept of gambling, which had become standard both in literary depiction and in actual play. By doing so, he adds an economic dimension, characterizing marriage relationships in the Middle…
PF is an epithalamium. Epithalamia are not always occasioned by human marriages; they do affirm the heavenly benediction and public recognition of marriage and celebrate the cycle of procreation; they contain "fescennine" verses, which poke fun at…
Guthrie, Steven R.
Chaucer Review 34: 150-73, 1999.
The key to the character of Pandarus lies in French domestic romances, especially their concern with privacy. Both TC and "La Chastelaine" portray lovers as vulnerable human beings who have the right to freedom from invasive forces. Pandarus's…
Whitaker, Muriel A.
Chaucer Review 34: 174-89, 1999.
Did Chaucer commission the chest in the London Museum with scenes from PardT? The poet could have supervised its adherence to the literary source and added the hunting fox as a symbol for the Pardoner. He might have chosen the cheaper elm rather than…
