Evaluates twenty of Chaucer's standalone lyric poems, considering their prosodic features, poetic qualities, and representations of various "aspects of experience."
"[I]nvestigates Chaucer's artistic and philosophical debt to the poetic tradition stemming from the twelfth-century School of Chartres," exploring Chaucer's sources and considering the (neo)platonic concerns in BD, HF, PF, and CT.
Rejects the traditional three-part structure of HF and assesses the "structural function of its two juxtaposed narratives," i.e., the summary of Virgil's "Aeneid" and the journey, considering the poem's relation with Dante's "Divine Comedy, the…
Describes the shifts in perspective and changes in the point of view of the narrator in TC, arguing that they guide the reader to the outlook that concludes the poem, particularly through allusions to the biblical book of Ecclesiastes.
Seeks to identify the "Latin manuscript closest to Chaucer's source for his translation" of Boethius's "Consolation of Philosophy'," examining features and variants in manuscripts of Boethius's treatise.
Psychological analysis of six of the Canterbury pilgrims (Knight, Man of Law, Narrator [in Mel], Pardoner, Clerk, and Second Nun, followed by "six recreations" in prose that attempt to project the characters as modern storytellers.
Merrill, Rodney Harpster.
DAI 31.08 (1971): 4172A.
Considers lyric poems "not as statements but as imitation of statements," and includes discussion of the "Brooch of Thebes" (i.e., Chaucer's Mars and Ven). Also comments on Chaucer's relations with Eustace Deschmaps and Oton de Grandson.
Peavler, James Martin.
DAI 32.06 (1971): 3264-65A.
Distinguishes between "natural" astronomy and "judicial" astronomy, gauges astronomical knowledge in Chaucer's age, describes Chaucer's uses of astrology, and considers effeorts to date Chaucer's works by astronomical references.
Psychoanalytic exploration of the "fantasy-structure" of MLPT, arguing that medieval and modern audiences "would have similar unconscious responses to the text." Suggests a similar, broader reading of all of CT.
Bratcher, James T., and Nicholai von Kreisler.
Southern Folklore Quarterly 35 (1971): 325-35.
Assesses narrative suspension and crossing motivations in MilT and three analogous U.S. version of the "misdirected-kiss and branding story," including two folktales and George Milburn's "Old John's Woman" (also titled "Julie"; 1956). Suggests that…
Pearsall, Derek, and Elizabeth Salter.
Mt. Vernon, N.Y.: Gould; Townsend: Sussex Tapes, 1971.
Item not seen; WorldCat records indicate that there are two lectures included (Salter: Side 1, "Problems of reading and understanding Chaucer". Pearsall: Side 2, "Realism and convention in the Canterbury tales."); the booklet summarizes the…
Winny, James, ed.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1971.
A textbook edition of MilPT in Middle English, with introduction and end-of-text notes and glossary. The Introduction (pp. 1-25) discusses the place of the Tale in the CT, its rhetoric and diction, sources and analogues, various themes,…
Coghill, Nevill.
London: English Association, 1971.
Explores the history of the idea of nobility or gentility in European tradition, tracing the etymology of "gentilesse" and Chaucer's importance in the development of the concept in English, especially in KnT, FranT, and WBT. Links Chaucer's uses to…
Halverson, John, ed.
New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1971.
Edits a selection from CT, with text based on Robinson's 1957 edition, modified in light of Manly and Rickert's collations. Includes complete versions of GP, KnT, MilT, RvT, WBT, FrT, SumT, ClT, MerT, FranT, PardT, PrT, NPT, and Ret, with summaries…
Assesses occurrences of the diction and sentiment of tenderness, pity, and consolation in Chaucer's works (GP Prioress, BD, TC), linking them with Bothius's "Consolation of Philosophy." In Japanese.
Summary description of CT, with comments on Chaucer's life and language, and appreciative analysis of the characterizations of several pilgrims, the conflicts between their tales, and the "eternal relevance" of the work overall. Recommends cinematic…
Taitt, Peter.
Notes and Queries 216 (1971): 284-85.
Explains that Chaucer's source for his account of Lot's incest, followed as it is by reference to Herod and the slaying of John (PardT 7.485-91), is likely to have been Peter Comestor's "Historia Libri Genesis" rather than the biblical account. Also…
Shapiro, Gloria K.
Chaucer Review 6 (1971): 130-41.
Explores "important tensions" in the characterization of the Wife of Bath, interpreting the "larger subject" of WBT as the "grace of God," even though it concludes with the Wife's "irreligious" final curse. In WBP, her "masking is predictable…
Eliason, Norman E.
In O. B. Hardison, Jr., ed. Medieval and Renaissance Studies: Proceedings of the Southeastern Institute of Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Summer, 1969 (Chapel Hill: University of North Caroline Press, 1971), pp. 103-21
Explores the emphases and nuances of early critical praise and imitation of Chaucer's poetry among writers such as John Lydgate, Stephen Hawes, the author of "The Book of Curtysye," and others. Focuses on their assessments of the "craftsmanship" of…
White, Beatrice.
In F. R. H. Du Boulay and Caroline M. Barron, eds. The Reign of Richard II: Essays in Honour of May McKisack (London: Athlone, 1971), pp. 58-74.
Surveys a wide range of representations of peasants and links with poverty in medieval poetry, with particular emphasis on works by Langland, Chaucer, and Gower, as well as a number of their near-contemporaries. Contrasts Langland's Piers with…
