Browse Items (16364 total)

Describes "the marked incongruity in the sheer quality of styles" in Tho and Mel, commenting on them as "burlesque," and using them to support an argument that Shakespeare intentionally employed mediocre, archaized poetry in the first two acts of…

Assesses "incongruity in the sheer quality of style" in Pericles, especially the Gower passages, suggesting that Shakespeare was inspired by Thopas--Chaucer's experiment in incongruity produced from the "inferior art" of an earlier tradition.

Discusses John Gower's "Visio Anglie" as a departure from his usual compositional style and from his other treatments of the Revolt. Argues that specific depictions carry out a mimetic reenactment of the Revolt, rejecting the notion that Chaucer's…

Comparative essay that includes commentary on Chaucer's "volatile response" to the story of Philomela in his LGW, suggesting that Chaucer's account may reflect anxiety about Gower's influence.

Edwards comments on several features of Takamiya MS 32, which "provides the only significant narrative conjunction of the works of Chaucer and Gower": quire numbering and arrangement of materials indicate that the Gower material was "selected by the…

Item not seen; reported in Encomia 32-33 (2010-2011): 206, with an abstract in French by Isabel de Barros Dias.

Dr. Johnson called Gower "Chaucer's master." But who is creditor and who is debtor? The two poets allude to each other's work and appear to be mutually indebted; also, they share a large body of common stories, themes, and forms in their works. …

Greene uses Chaucer and Gower to represent licentious comedy and moral literature, respectively. In manipulating the debate between the medieval authors, Greene displays subtle awareness not only of his own literary persona but also of the authorial…

Both Gower and Chaucer limit their use of Arthurian material to brief allusions, although Gower's allusions are more numerous, specific, and morally serious than are Chaucer's. Chaucer's allusions in WBT, PF, HF, LGW, SqT, Th, NPT, and Ros suggest…

In his rhyme-royal poetry, Gower adapted Chaucerian techniques as well as techniques from his own French seven-line poetry. Dean reviews Cinkante balades, Traitie pour essampler les amantz marietz, In Praise of Peace, and Amans's "supplicacioun" from…

Compares Genius of Gower's "Confessio Amantis" with Chaucer's Parson of CT in order to disclose Gower's "views concerning priests," arguing that both characters are idealized models of "proper pastoral care" and, perhaps, the result of conversations…

Examines classical sources for HF, LGW.

Argues that "alone of the three 'fathers of English poesy [Chaucer, Gower, and Lydgate],' Gower openly grapples with an acute awareness of the cultural centrality of a concept that extends from a betrayal of love's intimacy to social, political, and…

English political poetry of the 1380s and 1390s was deeply marked by the self-image of the monarch, which shifted about the time of the Merciless Parliament (1388), as Richard II became more experienced and less playful. Chaucer's PF and revision of…

Defends Gower's "Confessio Amantis," with brief allusions to Chaucer's BD, ParsT, GP, and TC.

The two tales have a common ancestor, but the very different motives of the Confessor and of the Wife are reflected in the language texture. Gower's style complements his vision of order and harmony; WBT is more vivid, dramatic, and suspensful.

Argues that CT and Gower's "Confessio Amantis" take the form of French "dit" poems. Claims that both works fit the genre because they have "sufficient 'dit'-like features."

All of the recensions of the Prologue to "Confessio Amantis"--especially the Ricardian recension--reflect Gower's economic concerns. His Tale of Florent also engages commercial concerns, particularly those of marital contracts, although to a lesser…

Compares the treatment of women in "Confessio Amantis" and LGW. In each case, the frame of the poem and the male-authored perspective disallow true praise of women.

Compares Nebuchadnezzar in Gower's "Confessio Amantis" with his depictions in Chaucer's HF and MkT.

Assesses Gower's virtues and achievements as a narrative poet rather than as a moralist in "Confessio Amantis," occasionally comparing and contrasting his techniques and accounts with analogous ones by Chaucer. Considers the frame of LGW to be…

Chaucer and Gower compete in seeking to articulate political and moral ideals. Whereas Gower endorses "communal governance of the ideology of self-interest," Chaucer explores a less certain "ideal union" among political, moral, and personal forms of…

Tabulates correspondences between Gower's Tale of Constance ("Confessio Amantis" 2.587-1598) and available manuscripts of Trevet's Anglo-Norman original, seeking to identify Gower's source manuscript. Includes recurrent attention to Chaucer's MLT,…

Analyzes "rime riche" (identical rhyme) in Gower's poetry, focusing on the "abundance" of rime-riche couplets in "Confessio Amantis," and discussing a number of points of comparison and contrast with Chaucer's practice in his verse. Revised version:…

Primarily discusses medieval humor in Gower, yet addresses how Gower's and Chaucer's humorous characters are female. Looks at Criseyde in TC, Alison in WBT, the merchant's wife in ShT, and Alisoun in MilT.