The Familiar Enemy : Chaucer, Language, and Nation in the Hundred Years War

## Abstract The Familiar Enemy re‐examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France within the context of the Hundred Years War. During this war, two highly intertwined peoples developed complex strategies for expressing their aggressively intimate relationship. The special connection between the English and the French has endured into the modern period as a model for Western nationhood. This book reassesses the concept of ‘nation’ in this period through a wide‐ranging discussion of writing produced in war, truce or exile from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, concluding with reflections on the retrospective views of this time of war created by the trials of Jeanne d'Arc and by Shakespeare's Henry V. It considers works and authors writing in French, ‘Anglo‐Norman’, and in English, in England and on the continent, with attention to the tradition of comic Anglo‐French jargon (a kind of medieval franglais), to Machaut, Deschamps, Froissart, Chaucer, Gower, Charles d'Orléans and many lesser‐known or anonymous works. Chaucer traditionally has been seen as a quintessentially English author. This book argues that he needs to be resituated within the deeply francophone context, not only of England but the wider multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe. It thus argues that a modern understanding of what ‘English’ might have meant in the fourteenth century cannot be separated from ‘French’, and that this has far‐reaching implications both for our understanding of English and the English, and of French and the French. Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 12 List of Illustrations and maps......Page 14 Bibliographical note......Page 15 List of Abbreviations......Page 16 Preface......Page 20 PART I: NATION AND LANGUAGE......Page 34 England and France: perspectives......Page 36 ‘Father Chaucer’......Page 41 England’s vernaculars......Page 44 Multilingualism and the war......Page 50 Nation and modernity......Page 58 ‘Origins’ and Empire......Page 69 Language and history......Page 83 Dialect and difference......Page 86 ‘Les textes en jargon franco-anglais’......Page 99 Renart jongleur and vulgar invention......Page 103 Jehan et Blonde: possessing language......Page 107 Des Deus Anglois et de l’Anel: ‘la langue torne a englois’......Page 111 Misspeaking La Male Honte......Page 119 An ‘English’ dialogue: Le Roi d’Angleterre et le Jongleur d’Ely......Page 125 French and Anglo-French: pronouncing the difference......Page 128 PART II: EXCHANGING TERMS: WAR AND PEACE......Page 136 Invective......Page 144 Jehan de le Mote and Philippe de Vitry......Page 147 Deschamps and the estrange nascion......Page 163 ‘Franche dogue, dist un Anglois’......Page 172 Deschamps and Chaucer: ‘Grant translateur’......Page 176 5. Exchanging Terms......Page 185 Froissart on language......Page 188 Negotiating languages......Page 198 The King’s Tale and The Knight’s Tale: Jean II in England......Page 205 Envoys and Troilus and Criseyde......Page 220 6. Trading Languages......Page 234 The stranger in London......Page 236 The Book of London English and the ‘cumune voyse’......Page 242 Trading Flemish......Page 249 Chaucer’s Merchant......Page 254 The Shipman’s Tale: the ‘famylier enemy’......Page 255 The Merchant’s Tale......Page 265 Cross-channel poetic communities......Page 267 Gower’s French and the continent......Page 271 Rethinking source study......Page 274 The Cinkante Ballades: Five Anglo-French textual performances......Page 277 Rhetorical conclusions......Page 297 PART III: VERNACULAR SUBJECTS......Page 300 8. The English Subject......Page 302 The Book of the Duchess and the assertion of English......Page 306 English and French subjects......Page 309 The monolingual turn......Page 317 Translating English......Page 319 English as a foreign language......Page 325 Troilus and Criseyde and English vernacular authority......Page 329 Charles d’Orléans and the English subject......Page 337 9. Mother Tongues: English and French in fifteenth-century England......Page 341 Agincourt and its effects......Page 344 The status of English......Page 350 Teaching French in England......Page 361 English vernacular Prologues: simple and strange......Page 368 Mother tongues......Page 374 Christine de Pizan and Caxton......Page 380 The claims of retrospection......Page 383 Jeanne La Pucelle......Page 387 Henry V......Page 411 Asserting diversity......Page 421 Conclusion......Page 425 Bibliography......Page 428 A......Page 462 C......Page 463 D......Page 465 E......Page 466 F......Page 467 G......Page 469 J......Page 470 L......Page 471 M......Page 473 P......Page 474 R......Page 475 T......Page 476 Z......Page 477 Oxford University Press, USA Contents 8 Acknowledgements 12 List of Illustrations and maps 14 Bibliographical note 15 List of Abbreviations 16 Preface 20 PART I: NATION AND LANGUAGE 34 1. Pre-nation and Post-nation 36 England and France: perspectives 36 ‘Father Chaucer’ 41 England’s vernaculars 44 Multilingualism and the war 50 Nation and modernity 58 2. Origins and Language 69 ‘Origins’ and Empire 69 Language and history 83 Dialect and difference 86 3. A Common Language? 99 ‘Les textes en jargon franco-anglais’ 99 Renart jongleur and vulgar invention 103 Jehan et Blonde: possessing language 107 Des Deus Anglois et de l’Anel: ‘la langue torne a englois’ 111 Misspeaking La Male Honte 119 An ‘English’ dialogue: Le Roi d’Angleterre et le Jongleur d’Ely 125 French and Anglo-French: pronouncing the difference 128 PART II: EXCHANGING TERMS: WAR AND PEACE 136 4. Fighting Talk 144 Invective 144 Jehan de le Mote and Philippe de Vitry 147 Deschamps and the estrange nascion 163 ‘Franche dogue, dist un Anglois’ 172 Deschamps and Chaucer: ‘Grant translateur’ 176 5. Exchanging Terms 185 Froissart on language 188 Negotiating languages 198 The King’s Tale and The Knight’s Tale: Jean II in England 205 Envoys and Troilus and Criseyde 220 6. Trading Languages 234 The stranger in London 236 The Book of London English and the ‘cumune voyse’ 242 Trading Flemish 249 Chaucer’s Merchant 254 The Shipman’s Tale: the ‘famylier enemy’ 255 The Merchant’s Tale 265 7. Lingua franca: the International Language of Love 267 Cross-channel poetic communities 267 Gower’s French and the continent 271 Rethinking source study 274 The Cinkante Ballades: Five Anglo-French textual performances 277 Rhetorical conclusions 297 PART III: VERNACULAR SUBJECTS 300 8. The English Subject 302 The Book of the Duchess and the assertion of English 306 English and French subjects 309 The monolingual turn 317 Translating English 319 English as a foreign language 325 Troilus and Criseyde and English vernacular authority 329 Charles d’Orléans and the English subject 337 9. Mother Tongues: English and French in fifteenth-century England 341 Agincourt and its effects 344 The status of English 350 Teaching French in England 361 English vernacular Prologues: simple and strange 368 Mother tongues 374 Christine de Pizan and Caxton 380 10. Betrayal and Nation 383 The claims of retrospection 383 Jeanne La Pucelle 387 Henry V 411 Asserting diversity 421 Conclusion 425 Bibliography 428 Index 462 A 462 B 463 C 463 D 465 E 466 F 467 G 469 H 470 I 470 J 470 K 471 L 471 M 473 N 474 O 474 P 474 Q 475 R 475 S 476 T 476 U 477 V 477 W 477 Y 477 Z 477 9780199574865

The Familiar Enemy re-examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France within the context of the Hundred Years War. During this war, two profoundly intertwined peoples developed complex strategies for expressing their aggressively intimate relationship. This special connection between the English and the French has endured into the modern period as a model for Western nationhood. Ardis Butterfield reassesses the concept of 'nation' in this period through a wide-ranging discussion of writing produced in war, truce, or exile from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, concluding with reflections on the retrospective views of this conflict created by the trials of Jeanne d'Arc and by Shakespeare's Henry V. She considers authors writing in French, 'Anglo-Norman', English, and the comic tradition of Anglo-French 'jargon', including Machaut, Deschamps, Froissart, Chaucer, Gower, Charles d'Orléans, as well as many lesser-known or anonymous works.

Traditionally Chaucer has been seen as a quintessentially English author. This book argues that he needs to be resituated within the deeply francophone context, not only of England but the wider multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe. It thus suggests that a modern understanding of what 'English' might have meant in the fourteenth century cannot be separated from 'French', and that this has far-reaching implications both for our understanding of English and the English, and of French and the French.

"The Familiar Enemy re-examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France within the context of the Hundred Years War. During this war, two profoundly intertwined peoples developed complex strategies for expressing their aggressively intimate relationship. This special connection between the English and the French has endured into the modern period as a model for Western nationhood. Ardis Butterfield reassesses the concept of 'nation' in this period through a wide-ranging discussion of writing produced in war, truce, or exile from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, concluding with reflections on the retrospective views of this conflict created by the trials of Jeanne d'Arc and by Shakespeare's Henry V. She considers authors writing in French, 'Anglo-Norman', English, and the comic tradition of Anglo-French 'jargon', including Machaut, Deschamps, Froissart, Chaucer, Gower, Charles d'Orleans, as well as many lesser-known or anonymous works. Traditionally Chaucer has been seen as a quintessentially English author. This book argues that he needs to be resituated within the deeply francophone context, not only of England but the wider multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe. It thus suggests that a modern understanding of what 'English' might have meant in the fourteenth century cannot be separated from 'French', and that this has far-reaching implications both for our understanding of English and the English, and of French and the French."--Jacket The Familiar Enemy re-examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France within the context of the Hundred Years War. During this war, two profoundly intertwined peoples developed complex strategies for expressing their aggressively intimate relationship. This special connection between the English and the French has endured into the modern period as a model for Western nationhood. Ardis Butterfield reassesses the concept of'nation'in this period through a wide-ranging discussion of writing produced in war, truce, or exile from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, concluding with reflections on the retrospective views of this conflict created by the trials of Jeanne d'Arc and by Shakespeare's Henry V. She considers authors writing in French,'Anglo-Norman', English, and the comic tradition of Anglo-French'jargon', including Machaut, Deschamps, Froissart, Chaucer, Gower, Charles d'Orléans, as well as many lesser-known or anonymous works. Traditionally Chaucer has been seen as a quintessentially English author. This book argues that he needs to be resituated within the deeply francophone context, not only of England but the wider multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe. It thus suggests that a modern understanding of what'English'might have meant in the fourteenth century cannot be separated from'French', and that this has far-reaching implications both for our understanding of English and the English, and of French and the French. 'The Familiar Enemy' examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France during the Hundred Years War. It explores works by Deschamps, Charles d'Orleans, and Gower, as well as Chaucer who, the book argues, must be resituated within the context of the multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe The Familiar Enemy examines the linguistic, literary, and cultural identities of England and France during the Hundred Years War. It explores works by Deschamps, Charles d'Orléans, and Gower, as well as Chaucer who, the book argues, must be resituated within the context of the multilingual cultural geography of medieval Europe.