Love and Marriage in the Age of Chaucer

Description: Assesses the meaning and status of "courtly" love and its relation to marriage in medieval traditions and critical commentary on these traditions. Considers a wide range of medieval Latin and vernacular representations of love and marriage, and gauges their reception in light of canon law, particularly the canons that relate to clandestine marriage, with sidelights on the practices of ring-giving, on sexual pleasure, and other topics. There is "no tradition of incompatibility between love and marriage, except in the literature of satire and complaint" (333) and "clandestine marriage was considered 'valid'" and it was widespread, although "forbidden by the Church" (217). Comments on MLT, RvT, WBPT, MerT, FranT, ParsT, and Anel, and explores TC and LGW in detail, arguing for Chaucer's appreciation of Ovid's serious treatments of love as well as his mockery. TC was influenced by Boccaccio's "Filocolo" as well as his "Filostrato," although Chaucer "mutes" his concern with marriage in order to amplify the "uncertainty" of secret alliances (240).

Chaucer Subjects: Troilus and Criseyde; Legend of Good Women; Anelida and Arcite; Man of Law and His Tale; Reeve and His Tale; Wife of Bath and Her Tale; Merchant and His Tale; Franklin and His Tale; Parson and His Tale; Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations