Chaucer and Array: Patterns of Costume and Fabric Rhetoric in the "Canterbury Tales," "Troilus and Criseyde" and Other Works

Description: Explores Chaucer's familiarity with conventional costume description and fabric reference in medieval genres, especially romances and fabliaux, and argues that Chaucer often reverses traditional patterns of audience expectation in which romances are decorated with costume rhetoric and fabliaux are unembellished with sartorial ornamentation in order to underscore a theme with his well-read audience. Concludes with consideration of lesser but still significant features of costume rhetoric such as color symbolism, figures of speech, and the inclusion of fabric terms. Special attention is paid to KnT, ClT, MilT, and Th.

Chaucer Subjects: Canterbury Tales--General; Troilus and Criseyde; Knight and His Tale; Miller and His Tale; Clerk and His Tale