Chaucer's Drama of Style: Poetic Variety and Contrast in the 'Canterbury Tales'

Description: Despite the tenets of "dramatic theory" from Kittredge to modern times, the links between the pilgrims and their tales are not reliable bases on which to build valid literary criticism. Not the psyches of the pilgrims but the different styles of the poems themselves dictate their variety.; Critics who believe in the psychological reality of the Pardoner confuse literature and life; instead of searching for the unity of CT, we must search for variety and conflict. A good Christian and a good poet, Chaucer uses stylistic variety to instruct 'and' delight. Benson considers GP, Chaucer the Pilgrim, Th, Mel, KnT, MilT, RvT, ShT, MerT, PrT, SNT, style, and language.