Kennerly, Karen, ed.
New York: Random House, 1973.
An anthology of brief fables and fable-like poems, narratives, and literary selections from various cultures and epochs. Includes John Dryden's "The Cock and the Fox Or, The Tale of the Nun's Priest, from Chaucer" (pp. 191-217) as an example of a…
Liebman, Arthur, ed.
New York: Richards Rosen, 1975.
An anthology of eighteen examples of short crime fiction, arranged chronologically from Chaucer to Ray Bradbury, with a general Introduction and brief comments introducing the tales. Includes PardT (pp. 3-12) in the prose translation of R. M.…
The mayor of London reviews the history of London from the Celts to the present, organizing each developmental period around an historical person. The chapter on the later Middle Ages features Chaucer's connection to London, including his dwelling in…
Chaucer reconceptualized CT in response to a challenge levied in Gower's "Confessio Amantis." Shaping the Wife of Bath and the Pardoner to embody the Seven Deadly Sins, Chaucer responded to Gower's taxonomy in the "Confessio" and, in doing so,…
Donaldson, E. T[albot], ed.
New York: Ronald, 1958.
Edits the majority of Chaucer's verse (no prose included) in normalized spelling and modern punctuation, with bottom-of-page glosses and occasional brief notes. Omits Book 3 of HF, the legends of LGW (but LGWP-G included), several lyrics, and…
Chapter four (pp. 89-127) treats together Chaucer, Gower, and "Piers Plowman," presenting Chaucer in his time but arguing that, as an artist, he transcends it. Introduces Chaucer's life and offers summary comments on each of his major works,…
The entry for Chaucer (pp. 168) includes brief biographical information, critical bibliography, a list of editions, and a tally of individual works with dates of first publication. Accompanied by a b&w plate from Thynne's 1532 edition, the first page…
Daiches, David.
New York: Ronald; London: Secker & Warburg 1960.
Describes Chaucer as the "brilliant culmination of Middle English literature," commending his "metrical craftsmanship" in English, his "European consciousness," and his "relaxed, quizzical attitude that let him contemplate the varieties of human…
Stephens, John, and Ruth Waterhouse.
New York: Routledge, 1990
Seeks to describe and negotiate the variety of "cultural codes" that serve as the contexts for the "language of literature" between Chaucer and Alan Garner. The section on Chaucer and Gower (pp. 24-30) focuses on their "syntagmatic" emphasis within…
An anthology in two parts: 1) seventy-six examples of English verse "reflections" on the nature and features of poetry; 2) 318 examples of "English poets' responses" to other English poets. Includes notes and indexes. The Chaucer section of part 2…
Offers a theoretical model for representing language--both oral and literary--and analyzes various modes of discourse such as direct discourse, free indirect discourse, dual voicing, etc. Observes at one point (p. 369) that "Chaucer's free indirect…
An anthology of "English poets' commentary on their English peers," with a "selection of the poets' more general reflections on their art." The section on Chaucer (pp. 72-82) includes comments from Hoccleve through Wordsworth, and the volume's…
Rorty, Amélie Oskenberg, ed.
New York: Routledge, 2001.
Chronological anthology of selections and excerpts from philosophy, religious texts, and fiction, representing the historical "varieties" of evil. Includes excerpts from ParsT, entitled "The Seven Deadly Sins" (pp. 100-05) in modern translation.
Includes comments on Chaucer's use of "deliberate space" in MerB and rhyme royal in TC, along with more extended discussion of the variety of voices and registers in CT, in which Chaucer "makes the pleasure and purpose of story-telling the very…
Argues that TC is largely concerned with "certitude and volition as they pertain to human perception and judgment" and as they relate to late medieval philosophical discussions of divine omnipotence and divine self-limitation. Troilus, Pandarus, and…
Bayer, Gerd, and Ebbe Klitgård, eds.
New York: Routledge, 2010 [2011].
Eleven essays by various authors and an introduction by the editors consider various aspects of narrative technique from Chaucer to Daniel Defoe. For four essays that pertain to Chaucer, search for Narrative Developments from Chaucer to Defoe under…
Practical handbook to literacy training, with exercises that include using lines from GP to inspire literacy, from a chapter titled "Exploring Geoffrey Chaucer: A Start" (pp. 181-84).
Traces background of how Eve was understood by Christians in Antiquity and the Middle Ages in England. Explores portrayals of Eve by Augustine, Aquinas, Dante, and Chaucer, and other lesser-known authors. See Chapter 6, "Middle English Literature,"…
Surveys the presence and significance of the anus and excrement in medieval culture, particularly the religious thought and literature of the age. Includes brief comments on Chaucer's references to dung, farting, and rear-ends in MilT, MerT, SumP,…
Traces the epic from classical roots to postmodern versions in various media; includes brief comments on KnT as epic with elements of romance, the latter challenged by MilT.
Sáez-Hidalgo, Ana, Brian Gastle, and R. F. Yeager, eds.
New York: Routledge, 2017.
Includes twenty-six essays by various authors that entail "comprehensive discussions of recent and current scholarship" on Gower and his works, arranged in three broad categories: working theories, material culture, and polyvocality. Each essay…
Considers tragedy from the perspective of analytical philosophy, arguing "that tragic literature seeks to offer moral and linguistic redress (compensation) for suffering'; it "involves the balancing of a protagonist's suffering with guilt (and vice…
Introduces Chaucer's life and historical context, surveying major works, and elements of Chaucer's poetry and language. Essentials of Middle English pronunciation are included, along with a glossary of key terms and a timeline.
Considers the "influence of the thirteenth-century Pseudo-Boethian forgery 'De Disciplina Scolarium' on medieval understandings of Boethius." Includes "'Bitwixen game and ernest': Contrary Boethianism in TC," which examines the "contraries" of the…
