"This sely jalous housbonde to bigyle": Reading and Performance in Chaucer's "The Miller's Tale."

Description: Links the characterizations of Nicholas and John in MilT to the genre fluidity of medieval literature and the interdependence of reading and performance. Focuses on Nicholas's "hyperliterate status," the "theatrical props of his learning implements," and his successful "performance of knowledge" in convincing John of an upcoming flood--perhaps an indication of Chaucer's awareness of the "power of bibliophiles." Considers John to be less foolish than often assumed.