Private and Public Space in 'The Miller's Tale'

Author / Editor
Woods, William F.

Title
Private and Public Space in 'The Miller's Tale'

Published
Chaucer Review 29 (1994): 166-78.

Description
In MilT, the house and the space around it symbolize both the tale itself and the principal characters. The top floor represents the "heavenly" sphere where the flood is predicted and awaited; the middle, or "earthly," level is Alison's bedroom; and the lower, street level is where all the punishments take place. Each male character seeks his private space with Alison at his own level and is "rewarded" accordingly.

Chaucer Subjects
Miller and His Tale.