Religion, Alchemy, and Nostalgic Idealism in Fragment VIII of the Canterbury Tales

Description: Through its "nostalgic" recollection of an idealized "bygone era," CYPT "casts a shadow" on the reformist thinking of SNT. Like many advocates of ecclesiastical reform, the Nun idealizes the primitive Church, but the Canon's Yeoman's performance undercuts the idea that worldly decline can be reversed. Sisk clarifies late medieval notions of the primitive Church and attitudes toward alchemy.