Medieval Discussions of the Role of the Author: A Preliminary Survey, with Particular Reference to Chaucer and Gower

Description: Theological commentators in the Middle Ages distinguished between the roles of "auctor" and "compilator." Gower seems to have modeled his main literary stances (as "propheta" in the "Vox Clamantis" and "sapiens" in the "Confessio Amantis") on the theological descriptions of the authorial role. By contrast, Chaucer gradually became aware of the potential of the "compilatio," which he fully exploited in CT.; The literary stances which he adopted in this work resemble the compilers' description of their role.