Geoffrey Chaucer: An Introduction to His Narrative PoetryThis book serves both as a lucid introduction to Chaucer's narrative poetry (The Book of the Duchess, The Parliament of Fowls, The House of Fame, Troilus and Criseyde, The Legend of Good Women and The Canterbury Tales) for those tackling it afresh, and as an intelligent examination of the themes and techniques employed by Chaucer in these poems, taking comprehensive account of other critical readings and producing its own distinctive and highly readable interpretations, which will interest students who already have a sense of the difficulties the narratives pose. Dieter Mehl's book first appeared in German in 1973. This is the author's own translation, and he has revised the text, updated the bibliography and added to his original version a chapter on The Legend of Good Women, a poem which he considers in the light of Chaucer's attitude to his own art and other critical perspectives. |
Contents
Chaucer in his time | 1 |
The narrator and his audience | 8 |
The Book | 22 |
The House of Fame | 54 |
Troilus | 65 |
The Canterbury Tales | 120 |
The Canterbury Tales | 157 |
Common terms and phrases
actual appears aspect attempt attitude audience becomes beginning Canterbury Canterbury Tales chapter character Chaucer claim clear clearly close collection comic completely concept concerned conclusion context contrast conventions course courtly courtly love created Criseyde critical deliberately demonstration described detail direct discussion doubt dream earlier effect English estates evidently experience expression fact Fame frame frame-story give hand human idea ideal important impression individual instance interesting interpretation introduction kind knight lady least Legend less literary literature London look lovers means meant medieval moral narrative narrator nature never obviously original particular perhaps pilgrims poem poet poet's poetry portrait possible presented problem Prologue question reader reading reality reason relationship rhetorical romance satire seems shows simple situation story style stylistic suggests tale theme tone traditional Troilus true turn whole women