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Reading Chaucer: Literature, History, and Ideology
Rigby, Stephen H.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 1-23.
Introduces a collection of essays and emphasizes how different social, historical, and ethical "interpretative frameworks" can deepen an understanding of Chaucer's pilgrims in GP.
The Nun's Priest
Oliva, Marilyn.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 114-36.
Presents case studies and historical background of the nuns' priests in medieval society, and interprets literary tradition of Chaucer's Nun's Priest. Includes an appendix on the Diocese of Norwich Nuns' Priests.
The Monk
Heale, Martin.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 137-55.
Explores how recent scholarship of late medieval monastic practices informs a deeper understanding of the characterization of Chaucer's Monk. Contends that the Monk can be viewed as a "target of Chaucer's satire."
The Friar
Geltner, G.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 156-69.
Views Chaucer as a "social satirist and master of ambiguity" for his portrayal of the Friar within the anti-fraternal literary tradition.
The Merchant
Goddard, Richard.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 170-86.
Examines how Chaucer's understanding of medieval trade, finance, and commerce is reflected in the Merchant's portrait in GP. Connects historical fluctutions in the English and Italian wool trade to the Merchant's business acumen in MerT.
The Clerk
Briggs, Charles F.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 187-205.
Presents a variety of historical contexts for Chaucer's characterization of the Clerk, discussing medieval universities, manuscripts from fourteenth-century Oxford, and the role of clerks in medieval society. Includes appendices of "Manuscripts…
The Sergeant of Law
Musson, Anthony.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 206-26.
Portrays the "moral, social, political, and professional" worlds of medieval lawyers, often found in estates satires, enriching understanding of Chaucer's Sergeant of Law in GP.
The Franklin
Coss, Peter.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 227-46.
Examines current scholarship to illuminate the portrait of the Franklin in GP, arguing that it reflects Chaucer's various opinions about "the social position of franklins in real life" and "the roles Chaucer has its Franklin perform" in FranT.
Chaucer the Poet and Chaucer the Pilgrim
Barron, Caroline L.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 24-41.
Discusses the character of Chaucer the pilgrim in GP. Includes history of Chaucer's life at Aldgate, his work as controller of customs, and later years when he moved away from London.
The Five Guildsmen
Rosser, Gervase.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 247-61.
Discusses Chaucer's creation of the five Guildsmen in GP. Stresses the "complex phenomenon," historical background, and proliferation of medieval guilds and fraternities in the fourteenth century.
The Cook
Woolgar, Christopher M.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 262-76.
Reviews medieval cooks who could possibly have been models for Chaucer's Cook and suggests that Chaucer uses the Cook to reflect the social and moral issues of estates literature. Also, discusses the Cook's dislikes in CT and his connections with…
The Shipman
Childs, Wendy R.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 277-96.
Discusses the ambiguity of Chaucer's Shipman, connecting ShT to estates satire and contending that Chaucer combined an "ideal craftsman and the flawed individual" in the character of the Shipman.
The Doctor of Physic
Rawcliffe, Carole.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 297-318.
Analyzes the historical background of late fourteenth-century medical practice in order to understand better Chaucer's portrait of the Physician in GP. Emphasizes how Chaucer reveals his opinions on morality, as well as the medical profession,…
The Wife of Bath
Karras, Ruth Mazo.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 319-33.
Compares the characterization of the Wife of Bath in GP with that found the WBP, claiming that Chaucer "is satirizing both the extremes of antifeminism and feminine self-authority." Focuses on sociohistorical challenges for medieval women, and…
The Parson
Lepine, David.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 334-51.
Provides historical background about the English Church in the late fourteenth century, and on several religious controversies, including the "culture of anticlerical complaint and the challenge of Wyclif and the Lollards," that contributed to…
The Ploughman
Bailey, Mark.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 352-67.
Reviews the history of rural society in late fourteenth-century England, as well as stereotypes of medieval ploughmen. Reinforces how the plagues affected labor issues and "social relations within the third estate." Argues that Chaucer's Ploughman…
The Miller
Rigby, Stephen H.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 368-85.
Offers a history of late-medieval English milling and the social and economic effects of the Black Death in an analysis of Chaucer's Miller. Claims that MilT is both a "comical fabliau" and "an Augustinian moral performance."
The Manciple
Ramsey, Nigel.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 386-98.
Reviews the history of medieval manciples, lawyers, and stewards. Reads Chaucer's Manciple as "ironic and allusive" and an "indispensable middleman" in ManT.
The Reeve
Stone, David.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 399-420.
Considers the reality, ideology, meaning, and historical context of Chaucer's Reeve, assessing how in RvT Chaucer comments on "contemporary and social trends in a reactionary way."
The Knight
Rigby, Stephen H.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 42-62.
Presents a historical perspective on crusading in the Middle Ages and provides historical details about the Knight's battle locations in GP.
The Summoner
Forrest, Ian.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 421-42.
Reveals the Summonor to be an "unattractive caricature" and posits reasons for Chaucer's description and portrayal in GP and SumT. Provides historical background on medieval summoners, and claims that the Summoner is "part of a Chaucerian critique"…
The Pardoner
Horrox, Rosemary.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 443-59.
Surveys current and past scholarship on Chaucer's Pardoner. Provides historical background on the office and practices of pardoners in the late medieval Church and reviews debate over Pardoner's "sexual ambiguity."
The Host
Carlin, Martha.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 460-80.
Offers reasons why Chaucer uses a "recognizable contemporary," Henry Bailly, or Bailif (he used both names), as a model for the Host in CT. Provides biographical details on Henry Bailly, or Bailif, of Southwark; historical background of innkeeping…
The Squire
Taylor, Craig.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 63-76.
Details the history of the chivalric relationship between the Squire and the Knight, concluding that the Squire "offers a complete portrait of aristocratic masculinity."
The Yeoman
Pollard, Anthony J.
Stephen H. Rigby, ed., with the assistance of Alastair J. Minnis. Historians on Chaucer: The "General Prologue" to the "Canterbury Tales" (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 77-93.
Explains the role of the "yeoman in medieval society," providing different interpretations for understanding the social significance of Chaucer's Yeoman.
