Browse Items (16381 total)

Suggests a clear parallel between Boethius and Melibee: both have suffered an injustice, which is seen as a symptom of an illness that has to be cured and that has moved them away from God to where Fortune rules. They are thus subjected to punishment…

The argument by John M. Manly (1926) that "Pars Secunda" of CYT was not originally part of CTY at all but was an earlier tale intended for a separate occasion and a special audience is plausible in view of internal, textual, and historical evidence.

A psychoanalytic reading shows that ParsT and Ret belonged originally to a separate document that was later added to CT through ParsP.

Reads "hostes man" in SumT 3.1755 as referring to the "servant of the innkeeper at whose inn the two friars are staying," and adduces paleographical evidence for retaining unemended "swan" as a suggestive detail in SumT 3.1930.

Evaluates MerT in light of its sources and analogues, including the "Miroir de Mariage," Boccaccio's "Ameto," and the "Elegies of Maximianus," the latter identified here as an analogue for the first time, with its presentation of "amorous senility…

Emends the punctuation of CYT 8.1236-39 found in the editions of W. W. Skeat and F. N. Robinson, assigning the enjoinder in the first half of the quotation to the Yeoman's canon and the second half to the Yeoman as narrator.

Compares "the accepted and variant readings of 'Melibeus' with the corresponding passages in the French source, 'Le Livre de Melibee et Prudence'," assessing variants from fifty-seven manuscriptsof Mel and arguing that there was "an earlier version…

Reprints seventeen critical studies of LGW published between 1904 and 2003, several excerpted from larger works. The introduction by Hartwell summarizes the plot of LGW, with little commentary on LGWP, and comments on the plots and sources of the…

From KnT to CkT, tales degenerate from magnificence to grossness. MLT attempts to establish decorum but backfires on the teller, who "courts the sin of presumption."

The Man of Law's allusion to the story of the nine daughters of Pierus, as presented in Ovid's "Metamorphoses" 5, is viewed as literary criticism that emphasizes the fact that the Man of Law is reluctant to be compared to the daughters--who lost…

In medieval tradition Esther is admirable and virtuous. She is invoked twice in MerT for the ironic comparison she offers to May, not as an undoer of men.

Although other allusions to the liturgy of Holy Week have been found in MLT, an allusion previously unnoted occurs when Constance is set adrift with her infant son, another instance of Chaucer's adding to the pathos of Constance's situation.

Alphabetical list by title of 564 movies about medieval Europe, providing details of date, director, cast, and, where possible, critical bibliography. The index lists seven films based on Chaucer's works or Chaucerian material.

Compares the six tales of The BBC Canterbury Tales (MilT, WBP, KnT, ShT, PardT, and MLT) with their Chaucerian originals. Emphasizes plot parallels, modern themes, and the lack of interconnection among the "six stand-alone telefilms."

Japanese translation of The Knight's Tale.

In KnT, neither the narrator nor the characters comprehend the ideal of courtly love. In BD, Chaucer depicts it fully; in TC, he reveal its weakness when confronted with reality. FranT reflects a bourgeois distortion of courtly love.

Chaucer, in TC, and the Gawain poet "understate" the prowess of their heroes and emphasize the negative aspects of courtly love. The heroes fail to realize their chivalric ideals--Troilus, because he is vulnerable to Criseyde's inconstancy; and…

Examines the historical situation of John of Gaunt and Blanche of Castile, challenging the traditional interpretation that The Book of the Duchess is an elegy for Blanche.

Examines Theseus as political hero in light of the literary history of KnT. The character combines wisdom and chivalry and reflects the Tale's narrator, including his attitude toward women.

Introduction to WBT and its primary motifs, focusing on the raped maiden, the loathly lady, and Arthur's queen. Suggests that the Wife of Bath's "feminism is essentially phallocentricism [sic] in reverse."

Discusses the role of Criseyde as a niece and an aunt and how Chaucer depicts her mature persona.

Compares Criseyde with Dido and Aeneas in the works of Ovid and Virgil to shed light on the unique characterization of Chaucer's heroine in the context of classical Trojan literature.

Considers the characterizations of Helen and Criseyde in TC through multiple contexts, including estates of medieval women and the ways Helen is depicted in Greek literature.

Examines the influence of Dominican friar Henry Daniel, and his efforts, along with other English scientists, "to appropriate into their language the scientific learning available in Latin, and to lay the foundations for future development."…