Paper Topic Also

I ended up exploring the insecurities of the Wife of Bath and how her conceptions of sovereignty, religion and sexuality all played into that. The most difficult part about writing about the Wife of Bath, in my opinion, is that she is ripe with inconsistencies. Scholars have interpreted her in so many different ways that it was a challenge to firmly plant my feet in an overall stance regarding my beliefs about the Wife of Bath. Later this weekend, once I'm recovered from 17 pages of Chaucer writing, I'll post some quotes that I think will be beneficial to all those who are taking the exam.

Paper Topic

Hey Jason...I am doing my paper on the Pardoner and the notions of sympathy, revulsion, terminality (meaning the state of being a body which is terminal, not reproductive) and homosexuality. I am trying to blend the scholarship I've read to get a clean picture, however vague, of the Pardoner and why the description of his body - and questionable sexual disposition - fits well with his admission of his deceitful practices and his tale of death, essentially a tale of what it means to be a terminal body.

SO far that's the best I can do to describe this paper.

Paper Topics

I would assume everyone has already at least started their paper, and a few of the more ambitious among us may have even finished it already. Since part of the stated purpose for this blog is to encourage discussion, I thought it might be helpful to post our paper topics here in case any of us are doing parallel research so we can compare notes, help each other out, or maybe even spark ideas for those that haven't started yet or for any undergrads who actually read this thing.
For mine I am covering the religious and religously affiliated characters in the tales.
My thesis is:
The Canterbury Tales’ multiple religious characters, from the tale tellers themselves to characters in their narratives, display a wide range of attributes but share a common theme of a clergy becoming increasingly self-involved and over-indulgent towards the end of the Ricardian era.
In my paper I am hoping to explore how the attitudes of the nobility and their hangers-on (like Chaucer) had begun to shift away from unquestioning loyalty to the traditional Catholic church. I think some of the attitudes and themes Chaucer expresses in the tales are subservisive at worst and "constructively critical" at best against the church and clerical figures.
On a related note, I will not at all be surprised if I'm the only one that's still checking the blog, let alone posting his paper topic.

Preachy Chaucer

Frankly I think it's pretty funny that the Canterbury Tales doesn't end with a tale, but instead a sermon about penitence. It was probably a good thing that the entire reading of Parson's Tale since the structure stayed the same the whole time, and there wasn't much different between the tale itself and a Medieval Sunday mass.

Chaucer's intentions with this piece were, as always, a bit unclear. Maybe G.C. wanted the reader to walk away remembering to live a sin-free life. Maybe he wanted to establish himself as a religious man and give props to Jesus for the completion of the tales. It can't be for certain, but what Chaucer does accomplish with this tale is completing small anthology of the various types of tale-styles. Looking back through the Canterbury Tales, we definitely read through a gauntlet of genres (the hag tale, the martyr tale, etc.) and the last horizon for Chaucer needed to explore at the end of the Canterbury Tales was the full-blown sermon. Obviously Chaucer had further intentions with his religious dialogue at the end of this piece, but at least he completed the genre set.

The Rejoysynge of the Devel

The word “devel” and its derivatives pop up repeatedly in the Parson’s Tale. It is not only a frequently used word in the tale, but probably the most frequently used noun in all the tales based purely on its repeated usage in the Parson’s Tale.
I thought it might be helpful to explore the medieval concept of Satan to provide a fuller context to its usage in this tale. And if my previous posts haven’t been obvious enough, I’m all about context.
Since Satan’s physical appearance is never discussed in the Bible, depictions of the devil and his characteristics have been the subject of considerable improvisation over time. During the Middle Ages, depictions of Satan were usually based on pagan traditions of horned gods such as Pan and Dionysus. In this way, the devil both embodied evil and chaos while avoiding being so sinister as to overshadow the medieval concept of “fear of God”.
A number of medieval Gnostic groups, such as the Cathars, identified Satan with the Old Testament God, asserting that the character of the Old Testament God was markedly different from that of the New Testament God, and was in some ways incompatible with the teachings of Christ. This idea obviously didn’t sit well with the Catholic Church
I think that the “devel” repeatedly referenced in the Parson’s Tale is in line with the medieval concept of Satan following pagan traditions. Though all of the sins referenced are serious, the way the “devel” is referenced as being amused or interested with them all suggests more of a mischievous and roguish manipulation of the human soul than an insidious and evil force. It would also be difficult for Satan to assume a truly polar opposite composition and power to God without diminishing God’s power through this juxtaposition. If Satan were truly as powerful as God then there would be little incentive to avoiding the seven deadly sins in favor of the Parson’s seven virtues. But I am not a theologian.
I think the bottom line is that we see the word “devel” so much because the Parson is looking to repeatedly present this concept of sin and evil and define its parameters. In this way, the “devel” we know is less fearsome than the God we do not.

When to Speak

What I found intriguing in the Manciple's tale is the conundrum that questions when exactly it is good idea to speak and when it is a good idea to keep your mouth shut. For example, if the crow hadn't blabbed about Phoebus's wife's indiscretion, Phoebus's wife would not have been murdered, the God of Poetry wouldn't be brought down to a human level and maybe we'd have a couple different colored crows in the world.

However, the irony lies in the fact that the moral "know when to keep quiet" is presented after reading twenty-some tales from people who felt like sharing stories. There is a sense of caution to be derived from the tale that story telling can only take you so far. At the end of the day words can have consequences, and sometimes they're consequences that are beyond your control.

Chaucer seems to preach against what many of his pilgrims are doing, and warns the reader about when storytelling is appropriate. Yet, for some reason, Chaucer feels that his Canterbury Tales are appropriate to tell. Chaucer definitely describes some taboo subjects for the time, but feels that he should tell his stories.

I can't think of Chaucer's justification for when it is not appropriate to tell except in the situation where it will damage someone's reputation and/or put his or her life at risk. Still, that seems too simple.

Artistic representations of Chaucer

The 1410 Ellesmere portrait of Chaucer

For my tenth post, I thought I'd do something a little fun — not that the first nine posts haven't been fun in their own right — something a little off the beaten path of academia. 

Throughout the semester, we've been talking about Chaucer's textual representations of everything — the various pilgrims, the characters in their tales, elements of English society, himself, et cetera et cetera. However, Chaucer's representations have served more than one role in the afterlife of the Canterbury Tales. Not only has his text helped readers imagine his world, and the individuals within it, but it has also played a role in helping various artists continue the tradition of manuscript illustration of the Tales by creating their own representations. In Chaucer as Children's Literature, Velma Bourgeois Richmond surveys adaptations of Chaucer's Tales into children's literature from Victorian England through modern America, mainly around the turn of the century, and she includes a great deal of discussion about art and illustrations in those books. It's fun to look at how painters, illustrators and lithographers translate their own ideas of what Chaucer's pilgrims and characters looked like onto canvas and paper, particularly for children who aren't quite up to the task of reading the original. 

I've pulled some of these images off the Internet for you all to enjoy, along with the appropriate lines from our text. Click on links for the image sources — some of which offer prints for sale!

First, Walter Appleton Clark's illumination-like paintings that appeared in the 1904 The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, by Percy MacKaye. 

"The Pilgrims Set Out"

Amorwe, when that day bigan to sprynge,

Up roos oure Hoost, and was oure aller cok,

And gadrede us togidre alle in a flok,

And forth we riden a litel moore than paas

Unto the Wateryng of Seint Thomas.

(p. 18, 822-826)

"The Wife of Bath"

Upon an amblere esily she sat,

Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat

As brood as is a bokeler or a targe ...

In felaweshipe wel koude she laughe and carpe

Of remedies of love she knew per chaunce,

For she koude of that art the olde daunce. 

(p. 13, 469-471, 474-476)

"The Knight's Tale"

In goon the speres ful sadly in arrest;

In gooth the sharpe spore into the syde.

Ther seen men who kan juste and who kan ryde;

Ther shyveren shaftes upon sheeldes thikke;

He feeleth thurgh the herte-spoon the prikke. ...

Ne in Belmarye ther nys so fel leon,

That hunted is, or for his hunger wood,

Ne of his praye desireth so the blood,

As Palamon to sleen his foo Arcite.

(p. 42, 2602-2606, 2630-2633)

"The Squire's Tale"

Whil that this kyng sit thus in his nobleye,

Herknynge his mynstralles hir thynges pleye

Biforn hym at the bord deliciously,

In at the halle dore al sodeynly

Ther cam a knyght upon a steede of bras,

And in his hand a brood mirour of glas.

Upon his thombe he hadde of gold a ryng,

And by his syde a naked swerd hangyng;

And up he rideth to the heighe bord.

(p. 152, 77-85)

"The Pardoner's Tale"

"If that yow be so leef

To fynde Deeth, turne up this croked wey,

For in that grove I lafte hym, by my fey,

Under a tree, and there he wole abyde" ...

And everich of tise riotoures ran

Til he cam to that tree.

(p. 182, 760-763, 768-769)

Next up, W. Heath Robinson's illustration of Griselda and Walter for the 1906 Stories from Chaucer Told to the Children, by Janet Kelman. Richmond writes that the two figures are separated "to sign both social difference and romantic longing in the 'Clerk's Tale'" (84). 

"She Rose to Curtsy to Him"

Upon Grisilde, this povre creature,
Ful ofte sithe this markys caste his eye,
As he on huntyng rood paraventure.
And whan it fil that he myghte hire espye,
He noght with wantowne lookyng of folye
Hise eyen caste on hir, but in sad wyse,
Upon hir chiere he wolde hym ofte avyse,
Commendynge in his herte hir wommanhede
And eek hir vertu, passynge any wight
Of so yong age, as wel in chiere as dede.

(p. 122, 232-241)

A more thorough explication of various artistic and literary re-representations of the Clerk's Tale can be found at "Retelling the Clerk's Tale."

The 1912 edition of The Modern Reader's Chaucer contains magical fantasy renderings by Warwick Goble of various tales, such as the Squire's Tale, the Tale of Sir Thopas, The Clerk's Tale and the Merchant's Tale. 

"Cancee and the Falcon"

Ther sat a faucon over hir heed ful hye,
That with a pitous voys so gan to crye
That all the wode resouned of hir cry …
She swowneth now and now for lakke of blood,
Til wel neigh is she fallen fro the tree.
This faire kynges doghter Canacee,
That on hir fynger baar the queynte ryng,
Thurgh which she understood wel every thyng
That any fowel may in his leden seyn,
And koude answeren hym in his ledene ageyn,
Hath understonde what this faucoun seyde,
And wel neigh for the routhe almoost she deyde.
And to the tree she gooth ful hastily,
And on this faucoun looketh pitously,
And heeld hir lappe abrood.

(p. 156, 411-413, 430-441)

"January Helping May into the Tree"

"Thanne sholde I clymbe wel ynogh," quod she,
"So I my foot myghte sette ypon youre bak."
"Certes, quod he, theron shal be no lak,
Mighte I yow helpen with myn herte blood."
He stoupeth doun, and on his bak she stood,
And caughte hire by a twiste, and up she gooth --
Ladyes, I prey yow that ye be nat wrooth;
I kan nat glose, I am a rude man --

(p. 149, 2344-2351)

Anne Anderson also did watercolor paintings for the 1912 Gateway to Chaucer, images of which can be found at the Children's Books Illustrators and Illustrations Gallery. Too many of those for me to post here! 

In parting, I'll leave you all with one final image, of Dorigen and Aurelius, from the Franklin's Tale, by Mary Haweis, in 1876, for Chaucer for Children.

"Dorigen and Aurelius in the Garden"

So on a day, right in the morwe tyde,
Unto a gardyn that was ther bisyde,
In which that they hadde maad hir ordinaunce
Of vitaille and of oother purveiaunce,
They goon and pleye hem al the longe day.
And this was in the sixte morwe of May,
Which May hadde peynted with his softe shoures
This gardyn ful of leves and of floures …
Upon this daunce, amonges othere men,
Daunced a squier biforn Dorigen
That fressher was, and jolyer of array,
As to my doom, than is the monthe of May.
He syngeth, daunceth, passynge any man
That is or was, sith that the world bigan ...
This lusty squier, servant to Venus,
Which that ycleped was Aurelius.

(p.162-3, 901-908, 925-930, 937-938)

For analyses of these illustrations and paintings, you should check out Richmond's book. She goes much more into depth about each artist, as well as a dozen others, and analyzes why they chose to create their representations of settings and characters the way they did. 

Richmond, Velma Bourgeois. Chaucer as Children's Literature. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company, 2004.