Varieties of Religious Poetry in 'The Canterbury Tales': 'The Man of Law's Tale' and 'The Clerk's Tale'

Author / Editor
Benson, C. David.

Title
Varieties of Religious Poetry in 'The Canterbury Tales': 'The Man of Law's Tale' and 'The Clerk's Tale'

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. 159-67.

Description
Chaucer experiments with "different aesthetic and doctrinal possibilities" in his religious tales, which, "far from being dull and dutiful," demonstrate his literary virtuosity. Though MLT and ClT tell similar stories, MLT is a religious romance that creates sympathy for Constance and celebrates the omnipotence of God; in ClT, God's hand is hidden; our reaction to Griselda is ambivalent.
MLT is an exciting adventure story; the complex adventures of ClT are psychological. MLT is rich in allusion; ClT is simple. In MLT, the narrator guides reader reaction; in ClT, he is less obtrusive. The emotions and lessons of MLT are satisfying; those of ClT, twisted.

Alternative Title
Studies in the Age of Chaucer, Proceedings, No. 2 (1986)

Chaucer Subjects
Man of Law and His Tale.
Clerk and His Tale.