Elvyssh by His Contenaunce

Published: John V. Fleming and Thomas J. Heffernan, eds. Studies in the Age of Chaucer, Proceedings, No. 2, 1986. (Knoxville, Tenn.: New Chaucer Society, 1987): pp. 3-14.

Description: Rowland reviews Chaucer biography, noting the reluctance of most SAC contributors to explore Chaucer's life and their interest in his "mentality." Recent biography leaves a number of unresolved problems, difficulties, and mysteries in Chaucer's public and private life. The biographer's task is not made easier by the possibility that Chaucer was a victim of "Impostor Syndrome," terrified of failure and convinced that he did not deserve his success.

Alternative Title: Studies in the Age of Chaucer, Proceedings, No. 2 (1986); The Presidential Address. The New Chaucer Society. Fourth International Congress, August 6-11, 1984. The University of York.