The Oral Undertones of Late Medieval Romance
- Author / Editor
- Lindahl, Carl.
The Oral Undertones of Late Medieval Romance
- Published
- W. F. H. Nicolaisen, ed. Oral Tradition in the Middle Ages (Binghamton, N.Y.: Medieval & Renaissance Texts & Studies, 1995), pp. 59-75.
- Description
- As a cultural mirror and cultural battleground, romance seems to blend voices from all ranges of society: secular and sacred, rural and urban, rich and poor. As a festive processional storytelling contest, Chaucer's CT successfully imitates the play styles of the major social factions of his day. The two opposing styles of acting and speaking--the gentil and the churl--are not only apparent throughout CT but also found everywhere in the records of actual medieval festivals. Chaucer's bold setting of these styles against each other is structuring principle of his poem.
- Alternative Title
- Oral Tradition in the Middle Ages.
- Chaucer Subjects
- Canterbury Tales--General.