Feminism or Anti-Feminism: Images of Women in Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath".
Feminism or Anti-Feminism: Images of Women in Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath". Chaucer's "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale" is a medieval legend that paints a portrait of strong women finding love and themselves in the direst of situations. It is presented to the modern day reader as an early tale of feminism showcasing the ways a female character gains power within a repressive, patriarchal society. Underneath the simplistic plot of female empowerment lies an underbelly of anti-feminism. Sometimes this is presented blatantly to the reader, such as the case of Janekin's reading aloud from "The Book of Wikked Wives" (The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale 691). However, there are many other instances of anti-feminism that may not scream so loudly to the reader. This is shown in the disappearance of the rape victim and the happy ending for the Knight. While the overall story is one of supposed feminism shown through women's empowerment, there are many aspects of "The Wife of Bath" that are anti-feminist in nature. The main character, Alison, or the wife of Bath, is representative of most of the feminist ideals in the work. She is strong, independent, and to be respected as a woman of great courage. Alison has suffered a great deal in her lifetime, indicative of life for women at this time. She has survived five husbands; some of whom beat her, others were unfaithful. She was
Who are the targets for 'Wycherley's satire' in 'The Country Wife' and how does it reflect Restoration society?
Who are the targets for 'Wycherley's satire' in 'The Country Wife' and how does it reflect Restoration society? The Country Wife is a Restoration comedy, concerned with exposing certain faults and failings in polite society but as R. C. Sharma said 'The Restoration comedy of manners thus reflects not the real life of the upper class fashionable society but the quintessence of its spirit and temper.' The play is also a satire; a play in which prevailing vices or follies are held up for ridicule, with characters within the play being targets for Wycherley's play. One such target is female hypocrisy. Horner's friend, Quack, who has spread the story around town that Horner is an eunuch, finds it difficult to understand how the story will benefit Horner. The latter explains. A man, in his position, has a problem in knowing which women would be interested in an affair and which would not: 'But now I can be sure she that shows aversion to me love the sport.' As he goes on, his plot will provide a screen for those women who are interested, because they are worried only about protecting their 'reputations, not their persons' from the breath of scandal. This revelation prepares us for the possibility that the women in the play will prove Horner right. If they do, then clearly his cynical assessment will have established their hypocrisy. Lady Fidget behaves exactly as Horner has
I am going to compare and contrast two stories the first 'The Fury' and the second 'A Bit of a Commotion' which were both written by Stan Barstow.
'A Bit of a Commotion' & 'The Fury' I am going to compare and contrast two stories the first 'The Fury' and the second 'A Bit of a Commotion' which were both written by Stan Barstow. 'The Fury' is a story which shows Mr and Mrs Fletcher who have an argument about Mr Fletcher being seen with another woman which results in her making Mr Fletcher leave, and when he leaves she doesn't think he's going to come back so she kills the one thing that Mr Fletcher spends all his time with and keeps her and her husband apart, his rabbits. But then that evening Mr Fletcher comes back to apologise and tells his wife what really happened that night at the bus stop with the other woman, and Mrs Fletcher realises how stupid she was killing the rabbits. She doesn't tell him that night what she has done but instead enjoys what may be the last night she has with her husband. 'A Bit Of A Commotion' tells the story of Harry Gravener who is a bad time keeper and gets his last warning from work, so he decides to turn over a new leaf. On the morning he decides to do this an old woman gets knocked down which makes him late for work so he decides to go home, but when he gets home to find his wife Phyllis still in and accusing him of not being able to do any thing right. He hits her and that morning she leaves him, but he thinks she'll be back hat night. Later that evening when Phyllis doesn't
Les Murrays Widower in the country
Les Murray's "Widower in the country" Les Murray's poem "Widower in the country" is a portrait of a man whose wife has died. The poem is the daily routine of a countryman who is depicted as still grieving for the loss of his wife, his sense of liveliness disappeared and the absence of feeling. The man's schedule is very ordered and quite tedious, no excitement in the menial tasks, he is almost robot-like as he trudges around the property labouring. The poem, written in iambic pentameter starts with a moving image of the man's bed that presumably was occupied by a wife before she passed away, this impression of the unmade bed makes the reader think about what was in the marriage. Through the first stanza, not only is the man fixated on him by using first person narrator, in addition he is putting things off until later, "I'll get up soon...I'll go outside". This notion of putting off tasks reveals that the countryman is depressed, he never feels like doing the job at that time. As the narrator reveals, there once could have been a family, the "Christmas paddocks" indicates that there would have once been a joyful time during Christmas with a family. As the widower is gazing over the paddocks, delaying his duties, we notice that he has no direction in his life, there is an absence of force or being involved, this has been portrayed through "the windless trees". Then there is
"How does Chaucer use or adapt the literary conventions of fabliaux and courtly romance in "The Miller's Tale"?"
"How does Chaucer use or adapt the literary conventions of fabliaux and courtly romance in "The Miller's Tale"?" In this essay I am going to reveal how Chaucer uses and adapts the literary conventions of fabliaux and courtly romance in "The Miller's Tale". Chaucer plays around with the conventions of fabliau and courtly romance engaging the idea of a carnival narrative, which uses the reversal of roles. There is also a Latin saying the sprouts from this: "bais cul", which means, "kiss my ass" and basically sets the tone of "The Miller's Tale". Fabliau is a mediaeval verse narrative written for and by aristocrats in whom they make fun at the social appirations and customs of the middle classes. This is the first in the mockery. For the narrator is the miller who is brawny and big boned (L. 548 of The General Prologue) and would steal corn then charge three times the price for it to be brought back (L. 564 of The General Prologue). A man who has no social class whatsoever. The narrative is usually very sexual and earthy. It contains the main characters of a cunning woman, a prostitute, a jealous old husband, a lecherous student and a merchant or priest, of which the husband is normally humiliated. The characters are given no characterisation therefore no sympathy can be given. The main stories normally tell of a second Noah's flood, a misdirected kiss, or of branding. All the
"How effective is Chaucer in establishing the General Prologue of "the Canterbury Tales"? (Line 1 - 43)
Edward Gillingham A2 English Lit. (The Canterbury Tales) "How effective is Chaucer in establishing the General Prologue of "the Canterbury Tales"? (Line 1 - 43) The General Prologue is developed through the conflict Chaucer presents between nature and life. Both his description of the scene and of the characters of which he writes, is seen to mirror this contrast and thus it can be seen as one of the many literary devices he uses to make the piece effective. I will show how these devices, the language he uses and the tone it creates allow his success in making the passage efficient. Chaucer opens the General Prologue with a description of the return of spring. He describes the April rains, the burgeoning flowers and leaves, and the chirping birds. The invocation of spring is lengthy and formal compared to the language of the rest of the Prologue. The first lines situate the story in a particular time and place, but the speaker does this in cosmic and cyclical terms, "Zephirus...with his sweete breeth." Chaucer is seen to use such descriptive terms as a celebration of the vitality of spring, using such lexis as: "inspired...engendred...bathed", and qualifies this with images such as: "smale fowles maken melodie." This approach gives the opening lines a dreamy, timeless, unfocused quality, and it is possibly surprising therefore, when he reveals that his true subject is not
Choose three pilgrims to show how Chaucer uses clothing, cloth, texture and choice of horse to convey character.
Choose three pilgrims to show how Chaucer uses clothing, cloth, texture and choice of horse to convey character. Chaucer's prologue to the Prioress is generally concerned with her appearance. The clothes worn would have been black. She wore a headdress which is what would have been expected of a Nun 'Ful semely hir wimpul pinched was' However, the fact that it is pleated shows how she is succumbing to the fashion of displaying her forehead. To follow fashion trends of the time is not what would have been expected of a Nun. Her cloak was neatly made which is perhaps supposed to be representative of her respectability. Accessories are also very revealing of her character. 'Full fetis was hir cloke' Chaucer explains her rosary - as string of beads used in reciting prayers. 'A peire of bedes, guaded al with grene'. Rosaries are typically black and the green of the Prioress' would have been very decroative. In terms of clothing and accessories, she seems to generally conform to what is expected of her, however she does so with a twist. As well as the rosary she decorated herself with a 'brooch of gold ful sheene'. Chaucer is describing it as being bright and shining. The words on it read 'Amore vincit omnia'. The words are translated to mean 'love conquers all things'. The broach is more symbolic of a romantic heroine than a religious figure. Chaucer is using the broach
Commentary: Importance of the Mihailov episode for the novel as a whole.
Commentary: Importance of the Mihailov episode for the novel as a whole. Tim Hoffmann English IB HL 29/09/03 During pages 492-505, special light is thrown on the character of Mihailov and the characters surrounding him. Compared to other sections, this episode is not particularly important to the plot. It does not involve any fundamental aspects that drastically change the rest of the book, but reveals characteristics and more importantly clearly shows Anna and Vronsky's relationship. This section comes directly after Levin and Kitty's wedding and the extreme happiness that ensued. This contrasts with this section as, although they show happiness, a blanket of boredom seems to lure over the entire section, for Vronsky in particular. Anna Karenin and Vronsky, who are lodging in Italy, visit Mihailov and this section shows many relevant connections to the rest of novel. In general, we find that Vronsky, who try's his hand at painting, when faced with the greater aptitude of Mihailov, stops his experimenting and allows Mihailov, a professional, to create a portrait of Anna. This shows Vronsky's weakness at this stage, and this same weakness is revealed earlier on in the novel. Although we are aware that Vronsky's love for Anna seems quite real, he does not attempt to tear her away from Karenin, but rather continues with many visits to Anna in secret. He does not stand up
By what means and how successfully does Chaucer convey the personality of the storyteller in the 'Wife of Bath's Prologue'?
By what means and how successfully does Chaucer convey the personality of the storyteller in the 'Wife of Bath's Prologue'? In the Wife of Bath's prologue, Chaucer's description of the Wife of Bath is very detailed and life like. It is difficult to believe this character is not a real person. Chaucer uses the Wife as a device to discuss social issues and status of the middle ages. Chaucer uses his knowledge of society and of the literature of the Middle Ages to give the Wife of Bath her personality. The Wife of Bath within one character is able to convey different views within society. The Wife of Bath believes in feminist views yet she conforms to the anti-feminist literary ideas of a Wife. The Wife is not a stereotype; Chaucer exploits all traditional things that men wrote about women and creates a woman who is bigger than all of them. Chaucer begins with Alison telling us that she is experienced in marriage, having had five husbands since the age of twelve. The Wife has a very businesslike attitude that suggests that she is also very capable of making a success in her trade as a cloth maker. The practical Alison shows her domesticity when she dismisses St Paul's statement that married women are like wooden vessels whereas virgins are like golden ones. She states that she cannot see much use in a household for golden dishes when wooden ones do the same job. "For wel ye
How does the tale of the Merchant reflect the character of the Merchant himself?
How does the tale of the Merchant reflect the character of the Merchant himself? Soumik Datta, Essay 4, 10 December, 2003 By including a merchant among the pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer brought to bear across the entire interpretive range of his poem, an aspect of his personal experience of London that had deep resonances for an England in the process of developing its own mercantile character and accommodating itself to the burgeoning of fourteenth century continental mercantilism. Chaucer underscored the contemporary conditions in which through social station and occupation he was personally enmeshed, by including in various tales, characters who are merchants. The careful punctuation of the Canterbury Tales with figures with figures representative of the merchant class should alert modern readers to the social, political and moral tensions that permeated fourteenth century London society resulting from emerging market conditions. It is no accident that the 'Merchant's Tale' like the 'Clerk's Tale' is set in Lombardy. One can see in the relationship of the two tales, at least three kinds of association: hearing the 'Clerk's Tale' might simply have caused the merchant to think of the story he knew about the Lombardy in his experience. ; the behavior of Walter and Griselda might also have reminded him by contrast rather than comparison of his own Italian tale