Chaucer's Ancestry: Historical and Philological Re-Assessments

Author / Editor
Matheson, Lister M.

Title
Chaucer's Ancestry: Historical and Philological Re-Assessments

Published
Chaucer Review 25 (1991): 171-89.

Description
An examination of Chaucer's original family name, Malyn, casts doubt on previous claims that Chaucer's family was involved in leather making. For social and commercial reasons, Chaucer was a more acceptable surname. Chaucer used Malyn or its variations in his writing in a "self-deprecatory" way.

Chaucer Subjects
Chaucer's Life