Dorigen as Enigma: The Production of Meaning in the Franklin's Tale

Author / Editor
Greenberg, Nina Manasan.

Title
Dorigen as Enigma: The Production of Meaning in the Franklin's Tale

Published
Chaucer Review 33: 329-49, 1999.

Description
The riddle at the end of FranT-who is the most "fre"?-distracts the reader from the central issues of the Tale, namely the concept of the "Real" (Pierre Macherey) and questions of gender. Although Dorigen is apparently excluded from the answer to the riddle, her presence speaks loudly throughout. She is the catalyst of the story, and her words contain the power to "sleen" or "save."

Chaucer Subjects
Franklin and His Tale.