Browse Items (16012 total)

Explores the "aristocratic, moral, and Christian" understandings of "gentilesse," listing the entailed ideals of truth, benevolence, mildness, etc. as expressed in ParsT, Gent, and in French courtly tradition. Argues that a complex understanding of…

Analyzes the lexical and thematic nuances of "gentilesse" in TC, exploring how subtle changes in meaning and usage help to characterize Troilus and the other main characters. tracing the "evaporation of the ideal of 'gentilesse'" as "moral vertu,"…

Uses two of the "modes of existence" theorized by Bruno Latour--technological and fictional--to examine medieval manuscripts, arguing that the "affordances and ecologies" of codices as technology encouraged the "proliferation" of fictional beings in…

Discusses determinism in a variety of late medieval works, Malory's "Darthur" most extensively. Includes discussion of TC for its depiction of "God's ability to overpower anything that had been ordained by some predetermining force," part of the…

Offers evidence that "goddes boteler" was a "conventional epithet for Ganymede" and that the "most probable source" for Chaucer's of the phrase in HF and for his use of "stellifye" in the same context is Petrus Berchorius's moralization of Ovid.

Explains that the medieval notion of "curiositas" (illicit pursuit of knowledge) entails concupiscence of the eyes, concupiscence of the flesh, and worldly pride, showing that these vices are a theme that links MilT and RvT, particularly evident in a…

Considers the use of women and their bodies as metaphorical vehicles for the consideration of Christian life, with particular attention to MLT and SNT.

Identifies and quotes from a range of generally unnoticed references and allusions to Chaucer and his works drawn from the "mass media" of the nineteenth-century English-speaking world, primarily newspapers. Arranged chronologically in discursive…

Studies the “narratological representation of the non-normative exemplarity of facial pallor" in Chaucer's poetry, exploring associations of facial paleness with facial expressions and emotional reactions, contrasting paleness with blushing, and…

Connects the "Tale of Gamelyn" to Chaucer with respect to concerns of class, legal, and cultural issues, and focuses on the theme of vulnerability as an important conceit of the poem.

Considers the concept of "manhod" (3.428) in TC in relation to critical discussions of Troilus's masculinity, reading Troilus's emotions in light of late medieval literary and social conventions and arguing that Chaucer's experiment in emotion is…

Clarifies the ambiguities of nobility and "gentilesse" in Chaucer's era, and examines the presentation of them in CT, particularly in WBT, ClT, NPT, and FranT, arguing that the Franklin's views align with Chaucer's own, i.e., both view virtues…

Explores the reception and impact of Thomas Hoccleve in the sixteenth century, including the linking of him with Chaucer and proto-Protestant reform. Includes comments on paratextual materials in Speght's 1598 "Works of Chaucer" that pose the poet…

Remarks on "several points of resemblance" between Nicholas in MilT and the Clerk in GP, suggesting that they may be attributable to the Miller's negative view of the Clerk.

Clarifies the "nuanced semantic versatility" of "hende" in romances and fabliaux, with particular attention to MilT and "Dame Sirith," showing how various connotations obtain in differing contexts, and suggesting that editors "might apply distinct…

Analyzes the absence of Ret from editions of CT published between 1532 and 1721, along with the publication of Adam in 1561, arguing that the combination affected views on textual accuracy and authorial control in Chaucer reception.

Identifies parallels between the effects of grief on the Black Knight in BD (486-512) and late-medieval medical descriptions of the "falling of the heart" due to sorrow or distress, quoting parallels from John of Gaddesden and Jacopo Berengario Da…

Explores resonances between the characterization of Chaucer's Prioress in GP and the life and legend of St. Eligius, clarifying how the Prioress's swearing by "Seint Loy" (i.e., Eligius; GP 1.120) is both appropriate and highly ironic.

Considers the "gestalt of identity" that armor represents in TC, assessing the private and public aspects of references to arms and armor in the poem, focusing on Troilus and Diomedes.

Comments on the history and nuances of "syklatoun" as a kind of sartorial cloth used parodically in Th, a prelude to discussing the implications of clothing in "Emaré" as a popular romance.

Considers the Physician's misreading and misapplication of his source material (the Sermon on the Mount and Jean de Meun) to be key to proper understanding that he is "untrustworthy" and that PhyT reveals his lack of "spiritual sensitivity." Reads…

Assesses the "chilling savagery" of the Merchant's attitude toward January in MerT as well as January's materialism, sensualism, and self-delusion, arguing that the character generates a kind of pathos that verges on the tragic.

Explores the sources and ironies of the disquisition on dreams that opens HF, and argues that its list of "six dream words" (HF 7-12) are made up of "three contrasting pairs," each of which is "distinguished by a contrast between a dream that conveys…

Ponders the complications and implications of discussing rape in modern classroom considerations of WBT, and recommends using the BBC television version of the tale to help raise and confront its inherent questions and values.

Shows how the "relationship between voice and identity" is a preoccupation of both BD and one of its chief sources, Machaut's "Dit de la fonteinne amoureuse." Highlights the formative influence of the composite "Roman de la Rose"--particularly its…