In the following essay, Rigby offers a study of Chaucer's attitude toward women in the Canterbury Tales. Rigby first reviews medieval views regarding sexual difference, demonstrating how many medieval writers presented polarized views of women. Rigby then discusses how Chaucer's presentation of women in “The Wife of Bath's Tale,” The Tale of Melibee,” and “The Parson's Tale” corresponds to or rejects the contemporary conception of women. In co...

Knox has written a study of irony in literature from 1500 to 1755. In the following essay, Knox analyzes the forms of irony in the Canterbury Tales.

Owen is renowned for the textual criticism in his works, Discussions of the Canterbury Tales, Manuscripts of the Canterbury Tales and Pilgrimage and Storytelling in the Canterbury Tales. In the following essay, Owen analyzes symbolic passages in the "Franklin's Tale," the "Merchant's Tale," the "Wife of Bath's Tale," the "Pardoner's Tale," and the "Nun's Priest's Tale" to show how they foreshadow...

Manly was an esteemed professor of Medieval English known for his valuable contribution to Chaucer studies through his lectures and his eight-volume collection. The Text of the Canterbury Tales, Studied on the Basis of All Known Manuscripts. In the following excerpt from his published lectures, Manly describes the rhetorical styles of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Book of the Duchess, Parlement of Foules, and other poems. He traces Chaucer's style to the lessons given in medieval rhetorical tex...

Robinson is the noted author of Chaucer and the English Tradition and Chaucer's Prosody: A Study of the Middle English Verse Tradition. In the following essay, Robinson discusses the religious motifs used in the "Prioress's Tale," the "Clerk's Tale," and the "Man of Law's Tale."

Donaldson is a scholar of Medieval and Old English Literature known for his translation of Beowulf for modern readers and his book, Speaking of Chaucer. In the following excerpt, Donaldson analyzes the persona of the fictional Chaucer, the narrator of the Canterbury Tales, and discusses the differences and similarities between this fictional protagonist and the poem's actual author.

In the following excerpt, Clawson explains the functions of the framing narrative within the "General Prologue" and throughout the Canterbury Tales as a linking device.