Chaucer's Retraction and Mediaeval Canons of Seemliness.
- Author / Editor
- Madden, William A.
Chaucer's Retraction and Mediaeval Canons of Seemliness.
- Published
- Mediaeval Studies 17 (1955): 173-84.
- Description
- Distinguishes medieval and modern notions of "seemliness"--a sociological concern distinct from legality and morality--and clarifies medieval ideas of linguistic, sartorial, aesthetic, and marital propriety in CT, observing a "gap" between what is "seemly" and what is "morally acceptable" concerning marriage. Explores standards of seemliness as they are reflected in Th and Mel, in the views of other tales expressed by Chaucer-narrator, and in Ret.
- Chaucer Subjects
- Canterbury Tales--General
Tale of Sir Thopas
Tale of Melibee
Chaucer's Retraction