Chaucer's Religious TalesC. David Benson, Elizabeth Ann Robertson These thirteen essays by distinguished Chaucerians deal with the most neglected genre of the 'Canterbury Tales', the religious tales. Although the prose works are also discussed, the primary focus of the volume is on Chaucer's four poems in rhyme royal: the 'Clerk's Tale', the 'Man of Law's Tale', the 'Second Nun's Tale' and the 'Prioress's Tale'. Almost all of Chaucer's tales are religious in some sense, but these four works deal specifically and deeply with faith and spiritual transcendence. They appeal to qualities, such as pathos, not now in critical fashion, but at the same time they seem extraordinarily contemporary in their special interest in women and feminist issues. The time is appropriate to recognise their importance in Chaucer's canon, for he is a religious poet as surely as he is a poet of comedy and secular love. These essays survey past criticism on the religious tales and offer new approaches.Contributors: C.DAVID BENSON, ELIZABETH ROBINSON, DEREK PEARSALL, BARBARA NOLAN, ROBERT WORTH FRANK, LINDA GEORGIANNA, CHARLOTTE C. MORSEA.S.G. EDWARDS, CAROLYN COLETTE, ELIZABETH D. KIRK, GEORGE R. KEISER, JANE COWGILL. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
a Question of Genre | 11 |
Rhyme Royal and Christian Prayer | 21 |
Pathos in Chaucers Religious Tales | 39 |
The Protestant Chaucer | 55 |
Critical Approaches to the Clerks Tale | 71 |
Critical Approaches to the Man of Laws Tale | 85 |
Common terms and phrases
allegory Almachius anti-Semitism argues audience authority Cambridge Canterbury Canterbury Tales Cecilia century character Chaucer Chaucer's religious Chaucerian ChauR child Christ Christian Church Clerk's Tale Constance context conventions critics Custance Custance's David death Derek discourse discussion divine doctrine Donaldson dramatic emotional essay faith female feminine feminist Foxe's genre Geoffrey Chaucer Griselda heroine human Innocent Jill Mann Knight Knight's Tale language Law's Tale legend literary Loathly Lady London Lounsbury Lounsbury's male Mary masculine meaning Melibee Middle Ages Middle English miracle modern moral narrative narrator Parson's Tale pathos Pearsall Petrarch Physician's Tale Plowman's Tale PMLA poem poet praise prayer Princeton Prioress's Tale Prologue Prudence reader religion response rhetorical rhyme royal Robertson romance saints scene Second Nun's Tale secular Sources and Analogues speaker spiritual stanza story Studies suffering suggests Tale of Melibee tale's theme tion transcendence Trevet Valerian values Virgin virtue Walter Wife women words