Includes discussion of Rita Copeland's representation of Chaucer as an author intending to supersede previous texts; where Chaucer would supplant classical texts, Langland is presented as attempting to conserve and extend scriptural/liturgical texts.
As part of a larger consideration of John Shirley's role in English literary culture and canon formation, mentions the presence of several unique Chaucer poems in Shirley's library.
Within the context of an examination of the English Renaissance, submits that the 1598 edition of Chaucer connects manuscripts and print culture, while lending Chaucerian authority and canonicity to print editions.
Presents PrT as one of several texts that are considered as performed/heard experiences, and as instruments of "late medieval identities and communities."
Examines various codes by which homosocial relationships were allowed to develop without violation of sodomy taboos. Uses as a case study the relationship between Troilus and Pandarus in TC.
Treats medieval tragedy as a combination of the tragedy of fortune and the potential for tragedy of damnation, surveying antecedent traditions and exploring each of the four poems of the title. Reads TC as a poem that fuses both views of tragedy, and…
Explores use of temporality ("the experience of living in time") in CT and Gower's "Confessio Amantis," suggesting that CT is present-centered and considers the relationship of past to present, while Gower "focuses on the present as it becomes the…
Uses ABC, Hoccleve's "Complaint of the Virgin Before the Cross," and other sources to outline a mutually reinforcing relationship between the Lancastrians (orthodox supporters of the Church) and the Church (which allied with the Lancastrians).
Considers WBPT and SNPT, along with woman writers of the 13th-15th centuries, as part of the development of a female "subject consciousness." Also examines Grisilde in ClT.
Examines the early editions of Chaucer (Caxton-Speght), and argues that editorial direction may have led to an emphasis on Chaucer's moral "gravitas," at the expense of attention to his comedic aspects. The reception of those texts, in turn, may have…
Arguing for the prominence of the Biblical account of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac in medieval culture, the author observes the presence of children as sacrificial figures in MkT, PrT, PhyT, MLT, and ClT, and notes the rewards of faith in those…
Suggests parallels between medieval literature and African-American literature, with particular attention to Layamon and August Wilson (stories of origin), Gloria Naylor's "Linden Hills" and Dante (a suppressive desire for harmony), and Naylor's…
Contemplates issues of determinism and free will in KnT and WBPT. KnT is viewed as "deterministic," which in turn is countered by the Wife, as well as ClT and SNT.
In an effort to rehabilitate the medieval romance, argues that Th, when read through the prism of the Auchinleck MS, shows more affection for the form than is generally believed.
Looks at Tudor scholarship's role in the development and maintenance of Chaucer's fame and canonicity, with particular attention to Speght, Thynne, and post-Reformation views of Chaucer's work.
Examines HF and other medieval dream-visions from a stand-point of performance theory, while considering the role of the narrator/dreamer as perceiver and creator of meaning, with ramifications for how narrative may be viewed as process, rather than…
Examines "The King of Tars," "The Siege of Jerusalem," and KnT in order to demonstrate that identity, however embodied, was unfixed in these works and perhaps in the later Middle Ages at large.
