The Triumph of Fiction in the Nun's Priest's Tale

Author / Editor
McAlpine, Monica E.

Title
The Triumph of Fiction in the Nun's Priest's Tale

Published
Robert R. Edwards, ed. Art and Context in Late Medieval English Narrative: Essays in Honor of Robert Worth Frank, Jr. (Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 1994), pp. 79-92.

Description
Critical studies of NPT fall primarily into two groups: allegorical, or interpretive readings, versus mock-epic, or "noninterpretive" readings, based on the premise that the poem has "no meaning except its escape from meaning."
Focusing on elements such as fable, debate, biblical motifs, and narratorial commentary, McAlpine argues that the "Tale" transcends both allegorical and mock-epic readings. NPT explores the value and limitations of narrative, ultimately affirming the value of fiction and transforming satire into "a vision of human reality."

Alternative Title
Art and Context in Late Medieval English Narrative: Essays in Honor of Robert Worth Frank, Jr.

Chaucer Subjects
Nun's Priest and His Tale.