Divine Ventriloquism in Medieval English Literature: Power, Anxiety, Subversion

Author / Editor
Hayes, Mary

Title
Divine Ventriloquism in Medieval English Literature: Power, Anxiety, Subversion

Published
New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Physical Description
xiv, 246 pp.

Series
The New Middle Ages.

Description
Studies the tradition in which God speaks through humans and the proto-reformation implications of literary texts where the laity use speech usually reserved for priests. Chapter 4, "Cursed Speakers," considers the carter's and old woman's curses in FrT as parodies of Eucharistic prayers. Chapter 5, "Belly Speech," explores divine speech eminating from parts of the body other than the mouth, with discussion of the ailing man's fart in SumT as an instance of this non-vocal divine speech.

Chaucer Subjects
Friar and His Tale
Summoner and His Tale