'Verray Felicitee Parfit' and the Development of Chaucer's Philosophical Language

Author / Editor
Watts, William.

Title
'Verray Felicitee Parfit' and the Development of Chaucer's Philosophical Language

Published
Chaucer Review 43 (2009): 260-81.

Description
Chaucer's uses of "verray felicitee parfit" and "verray parfit" evince his engagement with Boethius's concern with "the true and everlasting good, the 'summum bonum'" in the "Consolation of Philosophy." Whether meant ironically or used in the spirit of their original contexts, these phrases signal a relevance of the topic at hand to the larger philosophical question. Watts comments on usage in MerT, TC, and especially GP (Franklin).

Chaucer Subjects
Language and Word Studies
Franklin and His Tale
Merchant and His Tale
Troilus and Criseyde