Medieval Materialism: A Manifesto.

Description: Redresses neglect of medieval views in recent materialism studies, arguing that "that medieval definitions of matter, both hylomorphic and humoral, constitute their own versions of 'materialism,' versions that can help us to historicize later understandings of the term." Includes analysis of Chaucer's uses of "philo-hylomorphic" metaphors in LGW and TC as examples of the "dialogic nature of matter and form" in medieval poetics as well as in Aristotelian natural philosophy. Offers an example from Gower's "Confessio Amantis" that is, by contrast, "Neoplatonic."

Chaucer Subjects: Style and Versification
Background and General Criticism
Legend of Good Women
Troilus and Criseyde