Sleeping Dogs and Stasis in "The Franklin’s Tale."

Published: In Michael D. J, Bintley, Martin Locker, Victoria Symon, and Mary Wellesley, eds. Stasis in the Medieval West? Questioning Change and Continuity (Cham: Springer, 2017), pp. 205-30.

Description: Compares Arveragus's sending of Dorigen to her tryst with Aurelius with the analogous scene in Bocaccio's "Filocolo" and argues that in FranT the husband is concerned with public honor, a reflection of the Franklin's own outlook that Arveragus is a "perfect husband," a notion undermined by Chaucer in subtle ways. Arveragus regards Dorigen as a "trophy wife," is disinclined to ask questions about the tryst, and seeks to maintain the status quo. Also considers other source materials, and suggests that lines 999-1000 be read between 1006-07, where they occur in ten manuscripts.

Contributor: Bintley, Michael D. J,, ed.
Locker, Martin, ed.
Symon, Victoria, ed.
Wellesley, Mary, ed.

Alternative Title: Stasis in the Medieval West? Questioning Change and Continuity.

Chaucer Subjects: Franklin and Hiss Tale
Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations
Manuscripts and Textual Studies