'Young Saint, Old Devil': Reflections on a Medieval Proverb

Author / Editor
Burrow, J. A.

Title
'Young Saint, Old Devil': Reflections on a Medieval Proverb

Published
Review of English Studies 30 (1979): 385-96.

Description
Implicit in the proverb are two distinct views of the order of human development: the order is either a 'high norm to be achieved" or a "low norm to be transcended." Although Chaucer never directly cites the proverb, evidence found in KnT and PrT, combined with the contrasts between the Knight and Squire and their respective tales, suggests he ascribed to the less orthodox view--the "nature ideal."

Chaucer Subjects
Background and General Criticism
Knight and His Tale.
Prioress and Her Tale.
Squire and His Tale.