Understanding Chivalry in Earlier English Literature

Author / Editor
Brewer, Derek.

Title
Understanding Chivalry in Earlier English Literature

Published
Nikolaus Ritt and Herbert Schendl, eds. Rethinking Middle English: Linguistic and Literary Approaches (New York and Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2005), pp. 1-16.

Description
Some scholars harbor a Golden-Age notion of chivalry not unlike that expressed in ParsT. Others, operating within a post-Freudian context, presume that the chivalric emphasis on ceremony must conceal inward anxiety or repression: hence, the prevalence of such catchwords as "crisis," "revival," and "nostalgia." Citing KnT, FranT, and TC, Brewer urges readings that appreciate both "enriching differences" and "profound similarities" between modern and medieval cultural norms.

Alternative Title
Rethinking Middle English: Linguistic and Literary Approaches.

Chaucer Subjects
Knight and His Tale.
Franklin and His Tale.
Parson and His Tale.
Troilus and Criseyde.