Benson, C. David.
Chaucer Review 19 (1985): 100-09.
Chaucer's Man of Law attacks Gower for stories of Canacee and Apollonius, while defending Chaucer for omission of "swich unkynde abhomynacions" (MLP 77-89). Gower sympathizes with but condemns the characters. In Chaucer we have "a less rigidly…
Studies the role of Theseus in KnT as a "minister Dei," who governs the people in accordance with the leading medieval principle, "utilitas publica prefertur utilitate privatae."
Morgan, Gerald.
Modern Language Review 77 (1982): 257-71
TC is vindicated as a finished work of art, as complete in terms of the clarity and proportion that constitute its beauty. Chaucer's poetic allusion to Dante's "Paradiso" 14.28-30 is cited as an apt ending, and Morgan stresses the appropriateness of…
Moulton, Carroll.
Princeton, N.J. : Films for the Humanities, 1985; 1988; 1993.
Introduces the themes and genres of major works of Middle Engish, with special emphasis on Chaucer and CT. Narrated by Protase Woodford; produced by Stephen Mantell.
Benson, C. David.
Mediaevalia 8 (1985 for 1982): 337-49
The Pardoner should be read not as a real person but as an allegorical figure. Modern discussions overemphasize the Pardoner's sexuality and distort the fact that hints about his sexuality prepare for the more important concern with his…
Green, Richard Firth.
Mediaevalia 8 (1985 for 1982): 351-58.
The Pardoner is characterized not by signs of homosexuality, but by indication of effeminacy, thought in the Middle Ages to indicate carnality. Green offers parallels in works by Gower and Lydgate.
Cowgill, Bruce Kent.
Mediaevalia 8 (1985 for 1982): 151-69.
Mel, MkT, and NPT are related by their concern with spiritual perception or its lack: Mel deals with the failure to listen to Prudence and the return of Sophia; MkT shows "the consequence of sacrificing both prudence and sapientia"; NPT reasserts the…
Examines Chaucer's use of gerunds, observing that his usage is generally not unusual for his time except in two respects: he more frequently uses the construction "determiner+gerund+of-adjunct"; and seemingly "modern" gerunds with verbal properties…
In light of the mythological tradition of Janus and connections between January and Adam, January's self-deception in MerT is less bitter than funny. In general, the Tale "is one of the great literary celebrations of marriage, albeit a comic one."
Middle English text of NPPT (with the Croesus account from MkT), accompanied by facing-page notes, a glossary (pp. 147-52), and an introduction (pp. 7-94) that surveys Chaucer's life and works; the sources of NPT; the characterization of the Nun's…
Britton, Elizabeth Lindsey.
Dissertation Abstracts International 45 (1985): 3642A.
Consider "the two quite different versions of the Dido and Cleopatra stories as they appear in the works of major Latin and English poets, beginning with the commissioning of Virgil's "Aeneid" ca. 29 B.C. and carrying through to the publication of…
Cunningham, John E., ed.
Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin, 1985.
Classroom text of MilT, with study-guide Introduction, notes, brief glossary and bibliography. The Introduction includes commentary on Chaucer's life, the "Framework and Origin" of CT, "how to read" Chaucer, the "Miller and his Language," and…
Adaptation for the stage of MerT and ShT, framed by introduction by "Chaucer" of the two narrators, who then stand aside and comment on the characters while the action proceeds as drama. In Modern English pentameter couplets; intended "for use in…
Cunningham, John E., ed.
Middlesex: Penguin, 1985.
Classroom text of GP in Middle English with facing-page notes, study-guide Introduction, a brief glossary, and brief bibliography. The Introduction includes commentary on Chaucer's life, the "Framework" of CT, "how to read" Chaucer, and "Further…
Social history of late-medieval England, designed for adolescents, including discussion of Chaucer as "royal servant," poet, and "father of the English language" (pp. 1-9). Recurrent mention of Chaucer in subsequent discussions of historical topics.…
A history of English literature that emphasizes the continuity of ongoing forms and thematic concerns. Two chapters pertain to Chaucer: "Chaucerian Epic and Romance" and "Chaucer, Langland and the Treachery of the Text." The first traces how Chaucer…
Wangerin, Walter, Jr.
San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985.
Fantasy novel, loosely based on NPT, featuring Chauntecleer and Pertelote, along with various barnyard, woodland, and mythic animals. Sequel to Wangerin's "The Book of the Dun Cow" (1978).
León Sendra, Antonio R.
Alfinge: Revista de filología 3 (1985): 241-52.
Focuses on Chaucer's humor and irony in the love consummation scene in TC, and how he frames terminology as courtly love, while undermining the concept.
Tarvers, Josephine Koster.
Ph.D. Dissertation. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1985. Dissertation Abstracts International A46.11. Fully accessible via ProQuest Dissertations & Theses; accessed August 18, 2025.
Identifies "nine components commonly found in prayers," exploring their presence in various devotional poems in Middle English and interpolated in narrative works by the "Gawain"-poet, Langland, Gower, and Chaucer, observing superior style in the…
Burnley, David.
Poetica: An International Journal of Linguistic Literary Studies 24 (1986): 16-38.
Discusses the sociomoral and aesthetic qualities that constitute courtly speech, including social attitude, voice quality, brevity, plainness of speech, and sensitivity and understanding. Based on passages spoken "curteisly" in Chaucer, Burnley's…
