The Character of Chaucer's Merchant,

Author / Editor
Park, B. A.

Title
The Character of Chaucer's Merchant,

Published
English Language Notes 1.3 (1964): 167-75.

Description
Absolves the Merchant of the illegal practices, usurious dealings, and insolvency previously inferred by critics, providing historical information and examples that indicate that the GP description portrays a skilled practitioner who "gives a public appearance of great financial solidity" based on "complex transactions" of credit. Clarifies "in eschaunge sheeldes selle" (GP 1.278), "chevyssaunce" (GP 1.282), and the syntax and emphases of 1.280-82.

Chaucer Subjects
Merchant and His Tale
Language and Word Studies
Style and Versification