Chaucer and the Hand That Fed Him.
- Author / Editor
- Pratt, Robert A.
Chaucer and the Hand That Fed Him.
- Published
- Speculum 41 (1966): 619-42.
- Description
- Documents the influence on WBPT, SumT, PardT, and, to a lesser degree, other parts of CT of the "Communiloquium" of John of Wales (or another fraternal compendium much like it), showing that a number of biblical, classical, and medieval quotations or allusions in Chaucer's works (and sometimes their manuscript glosses) are similar in wording, details, and sequence to those found in John's preaching manual. Establishes that Chaucer transformed "anecdotes, sayings, and comments into poetry, using them to develop character, drama, and satire," and that he tapped into his audience's familiarity with preaching friars and their devices.
- Chaucer Subjects
- Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations
Wife of Bath and Her Tale
Summoner and His Tale
Pardoner and His Tale
Manuscripts and Textual Studies