Historians on Chaucer - The ''General Prologue'' to the Canterbury Tales

Historians on Chaucer brings together 25 experts in the history of fourteenth-century England to discuss one of the most famous works of Middle English literature¿Geoffrey Chaucer's 'General Prologue' to the Canterbury Tales¿in relation to the economic change, social issues, and religious controversies of the period.

List of contents

• Preface


• Reading Chaucer: Literature, History and Ideology


• Chaucer the Poet, Chaucer the Pilgrim


• The Knight


• The Squire


• The Yeoman


• The Prioress and the Second Nun


• The Nun's Priest


• The Monk


• The Friar


• The Merchant


• The Clerk


• The Sergeant of Law


• The Franklin


• The Five Guildsmen


• The Cook


• The Shipman


• The Doctor of Physic


• The Wife of Bath


• The Parson


• The Ploughman


• The Miller


• The Manciple


• The Reeve


• The Summoner


• The Pardoner


• The Host


• Conclusion: Historicism and its Limits

About the author

Stephen Rigby was educated at Sheffield and London universities. He has published widely on social theory, medieval English social and economic history, Middle English literature, and medieval political theory.

Alastair Minnis is currently the Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of English at Yale University. Formerly he taught at the Queen's University of Belfast, Bristol University, and the University of York. His research methodology brings together reading strategies from literary criticism and the history of ideas, and an interest in medieval philosophy and theology has informed much of his work. He is a Fellow of the English Association and of the Medieval Academy of America.

Summary

Historians on Chaucer brings together 25 experts in the history of fourteenth-century England to discuss one of the most famous works of Middle English literature--Geoffrey Chaucer's 'General Prologue' to the Canterbury Tales--in relation to the economic change, social issues, and religious controversies of the period.

Additional text

The editors and contributors are to be commended for compiling a useful and interesting collection of essays. It will be a valuable resource for scholars and teachers of the Canterbury Tales for many years to come.

Product details

• Authors: Alastair Minnis, Stephen Rigby, Stephen (Emeritus Professor of Medieval Soc Rigby
• Assisted by: Stephen Rigby (Editor), Stephen (Emeritus Professor of Medieval Social and Economic History Rigby (Editor), Rigby Stephen (Editor)
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 04.12.2014
• EAN: 9780199689545
• ISBN: 978-0-19-968954-5
• No. of pages: 528
• Assisted by: Alastair Minnis
• Subjects: Education and learning > Adult education/adult education classes > Self-tuition materials (general); Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; History, HISTORY / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Poetry, LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical, CE period up to c 1500, Literary studies: classical, early & medieval, Literary studies: poetry & poets, Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval, Literary studies: poetry and poets