Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

Recognised on its first appearance as the most comprehensive single-volume guide to The Canterbury Tales yet produced, this third edition brings the Tales up to date in relation both to recent criticism and to the changing expectations of modern readers. The Guide provide tale-by-tale information on textual variations and sources, together with a readable commentary on thematic issues, structure, style, generic affiliations, and the contribution of each tale to the work as a whole. It concludes with a survey of the many imitations of the tales down to the early seventeenth century. This new edition also takes account of the latest scholarship, theory, and criticism and new interpretations of the tales, including such matters as gender identity, consent, and racial and religious difference. The book is the most comprehensive single-volume guide to the Tales yet produced, bringing together a wide range of disparate material and providing a readable commentary on all aspects of the work. It combines the comprehensive coverage of a reference book with the clarity and coherence of a critical account. Since its first publication in 1989, the Guide has established itself as an indispensable aid for any reader looking to develop their understanding of The Canterbury Tales . Cover 1 Oxford Guides to Chaucer The Canterbury Tales 4 Copyright 5 FOREWORD TO THE FIRST EDITION 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO THE THIRD EDITION 8 CONTENTS 10 ABBREVIATIONS 16 Introduction 18 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 23 Textual Bibliography 24 Selected Manuscript Facsimiles and Transcripts 25 The Canterbury Tales 26 DATE 26 TEXT 28 GENRE 31 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 32 Anthologies of Sources 35 Bibliography of Recurrent Sources and Analogues 35 STRUCTURE 41 THEMES 43 Dramatic Readings and their Opposition 47 Identity: Gender, Sexuality, and Race 47 Theology and Christian Doctrine 49 Structural and Stylistic Studies 49 STYLE: LANGUAGE, RHETORIC, AND PROSODY 50 FRAGMENT I 56 The General Prologue 56 DATE AND TEXT 56 GENRE 57 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 59 STRUCTURE 61 THEMES AND STYLE: A GUIDED TOUR OF THE GENERAL PROLOGUE 63 The Knight 64 The Squire 66 The Yeoman 67 The Prioress 67 The Monk 69 The Friar 70 The Merchant 72 The Clerk 73 The Sergeant of Law 74 The Franklin 75 The Guildsmen 78 The Cook 79 The Shipman 79 The Doctor of Physic 80 The Wife of Bath 81 The Parson 83 The Ploughman 84 The Miller 85 The Manciple 86 The Reeve 87 The Summoner 88 The Pardoner 89 The Tabard 92 The Knight’s Tale 94 DATE 94 TEXT 95 GENRE 96 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 98 1. Boccaccio: The Teseida 98 2. Boethius 101 3. Minor Sources: Statius, the Ovidian Tradition, the Roman de la Rose, Dante, English Romance 104 STRUCTURE 106 THEMES 109 A NOTE ON ASTROLOGY 117 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 118 STYLE 121 The Miller’s Tale 126 PROLOGUE 126 DATE AND TEXT 128 GENRE 129 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 130 STRUCTURE 133 THEMES 135 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 137 The Reeve’s Tale 143 PROLOGUE 143 DATE AND TEXT 144 GENRE 144 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 145 STRUCTURE 147 THEMES 148 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 150 STYLE 151 The Cook’s Tale 154 PROLOGUE 154 DATE AND TEXT 155 GENRE 155 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 156 STRUCTURE, THEMES, AND STYLE 156 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 157 FRAGMENT II 160 The Man of Law’s Tale 160 INTRODUCTION 160 GENRE 164 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 165 STRUCTURE 167 THEMES 168 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 172 STYLE 174 EPILOGUE: A TEXTUAL NOTE 176 FRAGMENT III 178 The Wife of Bath’s Prologue 178 DATE AND TEXT 178 GENRE 180 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 181 STRUCTURE 187 THEMES 189 THE PROLOGUE IN CONTEXT 193 STYLE 195 The Wife of Bath’s Tale 197 DATE AND TEXT 197 GENRE 197 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 198 STRUCTURE 202 THEMES 203 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 205 STYLE 206 The Friar’s Tale 209 PROLOGUE 209 DATE AND TEXT 209 GENRE 210 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 210 STRUCTURE 212 THEMES 213 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 215 STYLE 216 The Summoner’s Tale 218 PROLOGUE 218 DATE AND TEXT 218 GENRE 219 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 219 STRUCTURE 221 THEMES 221 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 223 STYLE 224 FRAGMENT IV 226 The Clerk’s Tale 226 PROLOGUE 226 DATE AND TEXT 227 GENRE 229 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 230 STRUCTURE 233 THEMES 235 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 239 STYLE 242 The Merchant’s Tale 245 PROLOGUE 245 DATE AND TEXT 246 GENRE 247 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 247 STRUCTURE 250 THEMES 251 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 255 STYLE 257 FRAGMENT V 262 The Squire’s Tale 262 PROLOGUE 262 DATE AND TEXT 262 GENRE 264 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 265 STRUCTURE 267 THEMES 268 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 271 STYLE 273 The Franklin’s Tale 276 THE ENDING OF THE SQUIRE’S TALE: THE SQUIRE–FRANKLINLINK 276 DATE AND TEXT 277 GENRE 278 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 279 STRUCTURE 281 THEMES 282 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 288 STYLE 290 FRAGMENT VI 294 THE PLACING OF THE FRAGMENT 294 The Physician’s Tale 295 DATE AND TEXT 295 GENRE 295 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 297 STRUCTURE 298 THEMES 299 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 303 STYLE 305 THE PHYSICIAN–PARDONERLINK 307 The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale 308 DATE AND TEXT 308 THE PROLOGUE: SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 308 THE PROLOGUE: STRUCTURE, THEMES, AND STYLE 310 THE TALE: GENRE 312 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 312 STRUCTURE 314 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 320 STYLE 321 FRAGMENT VII 326 THE PLACING OF THE FRAGMENT 326 FRAGMENT VII 326 THE PLACING OF THE FRAGMENT 326 The Shipman’s Tale 327 DATE, ATTRIBUTION, AND TEXT 327 GENRE, SOURCES, AND ANALOGUES 328 STRUCTURE 329 THEMES 330 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 332 STYLE 333 The Prioress’s Tale 336 THE SHIPMAN–PRIORESSLINK 336 DATE AND TEXT 336 GENRE 337 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 338 STRUCTURE 341 THEMES 342 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 345 STYLE 347 The Tale of Sir Thopas 350 PROLOGUE 350 DATE AND TEXT 350 GENRE, SOURCES, AND ANALOGUES 352 STRUCTURE 355 THEMES AND STYLE 356 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 359 The Tale of Melibee 361 PROLOGUE 361 DATE 363 TEXT 364 GENRE 364 SOURCES 365 STRUCTURE 367 THEMES 368 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 372 STYLE 373 The Monk’s Tale 376 PROLOGUE 376 DATE 378 TEXT 378 GENRE 380 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 381 STRUCTURE 384 THEMES 385 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 388 STYLE 389 The Nun’s Priest’s Tale 392 PROLOGUE: TEXT 392 PROLOGUE: THEMES 393 DATE AND TEXT 394 GENRE 394 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 396 STRUCTURE 400 THEMES 402 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 405 STYLE 407 ENDLINK 410 FRAGMENT VIII 412 The Placing of the Fragment 412 The Second Nun’s Tale 413 DATE 413 ATTRIBUTION AND TEXT 413 GENRE, SOURCES, AND ANALOGUES 414 STRUCTURE 415 THEMES 416 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 418 STYLE 421 The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale 424 DATE AND TEXT 424 PROLOGUE 425 GENRE 426 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 427 STRUCTURE 429 THEMES 430 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 433 STYLE 434 FRAGMENT IX 438 The Manciple’s Tale 438 PROLOGUE 438 DATE AND TEXT 439 GENRE 440 SOURCES AND ANALOGUES 441 STRUCTURE 443 THEMES 444 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 447 STYLE 449 FRAGMENT X 452 The Parson’s Tale 452 PROLOGUE 452 DATE 455 TEXT 456 GENRE, SOURCES, AND ANALOGUES 457 STRUCTURE 459 THEMES 460 THE TALE IN CONTEXT 463 STYLE 466 Taking Leave: Chaucer’s ‘Retractions’ 468 Imitations of the Canterbury Tales 1400–1615 472 FILLING IN THE GAPS: THE COOK’S AND SQUIRE’S TALES 473 TALES FOR THE PILGRIMAGE: BERYN, THE SIEGE OF THEBES, TWO PLOUGHMAN’S TALES 475 THE NON-CANTERBURY TALES: THE PILGRIM’S TALE, THE COBBLER OF CANTERBURY, GREENE’S VISION 479 THE AFTERLIFE OF INDIVIDUAL TALES 481 GENERAL BIBLIOGRAPHY 490 INDEX 494