The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights

Tiffany J. Smith

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights

Tiffany J. Smith

Published in International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 2, Issue 3)

Received: 5 April 2014 Accepted: 4 May 2014 Published: 20 May 2014

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Abstract

This paper critically analyzes Geoffrey Chaucer’s character Allison of his tale “The Wife of Bath” within the Canterbury Tales. The argument is made that Chaucer intentionally used this character to present his personal feminist ideals to his audience, thereby acting as an advocate for women under the guise of literary author. Evidence will be presented both from the text by analyzing her characterization, imagery, and dialog while the weight of this thesis will rest upon The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer evidence presented by scholars, particularly from the “Chaucer Review” scholarly journal, as well as research conducted on the life and times of women during the medieval era.

Published in	International Journal of Literature and Arts (Volume 2, Issue 3)
DOI	10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
Page(s)	76-83
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Feminism, Chaucer, Matriarchal, Canterbury, Bath

References

[1]	"Geoffrey Chaucer is named chief clerk by Richard II." History.com. The History Channel, 12 Jul 2013. Web. 19 Jun 2013. .
[2]	Hanawalt, Barbara. England : Literature in Historical Context. Minneapolis, MN: Uni-versity of Minnesota Press, 1992. 7. eBook. .
[3]	Wheeler, Kip. "Chaucer's Biography." Dr. Kip Wheeler's Website. Carson-Newman College, n.d. Web. 19 Jun 2013. .
[4]	Trigg, Stephanie. Congenial Souls: Reading Chaucer from medieval to Postmodern. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2001. xvii. eBook. .
[5]	Rudd, Gillian. Complete Critical Guide to Geoffrey Chaucer. Florence, KY: Routledge, 2001. 122. eBook. .
[6]	"Color of Power." Pig-ments Through the Ages. WebExhibits, 2011. Web. 28 Sep 2012. .
[7]	Van, Thomas. “False Texts and Disappearing Women in the Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale.” Penn State University Press. N.p., 1994. Web. 29 Sep 2012. .
[8]	Shearer, Joanna. "Naughty by Nature: Chaucer and the (Re)Invention of Female Goodness in Late Medieval Litera-ture.”Florida State Univeristy Library Services. N.p., 2007. Web. 28 Sep 2012. .
[9]	Chance, Jane. Mythographic-Chaucer : The Fabulation of Sexual Politics. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 1995. 214-225. eBook. .
[10]	Oberembt, Kenneth. “Chaucer’s Anti-Misgynist Wife of Bath.” Penn State University Press. N.p. 1976. Web. 29 Sept 2012.< http://www.jstor.org/stable/25093359.>
[11]	Benson, David. "The Canterbury Tales: personal drama or experiments in poetic variety?." The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer. Ed. PieroBoitani and Ed. Jill Mann. 2nd. Cambridge: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cam-bridge, 2003. Print.
[12]	Shaperio, Gloria. "Dame Alice as Deceptive Narrator." Chaucer Re-view . 6.2 (1971): n. page. Web. 29 Sep. 2012. .
[13]	Levy, Bernard. “The Wife of Bath's Queynte-Fantasye.” The Chaucer Review, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Fall, 1969), pp. 106-122. Penn State University. Crcoker, Holly. Chaucer's Visions of Manhood. Gordons-ville, VA: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. 123. eBook. .
[14]	"The Educational Legacy of Medieval and Renaissance Traditions." California State University of Pomona. N.p., 2011. Web. 29 Sep 2012. .
[15]	“The Wife of Bath and the Mediation of ‘Privitee.’” Florida State University.N.p. 2010. Web. 29 Sept 2012.
[16]	Moore, Andrew. "The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale - study guide." Teach It: English Teaching Online. Universal Teacher, n.d. Web. 19 Jun 2013. .

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Tiffany J. Smith. (2014). The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 2(3), 76-83. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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Tiffany J. Smith. The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2014, 2(3), 76-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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Tiffany J. Smith. The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. Int J Lit Arts. 2014;2(3):76-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14,
  author = {Tiffany J. Smith},
  title = {The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {76-83},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20140203.14},
  abstract = {This paper critically analyzes Geoffrey Chaucer’s character Allison of his tale “The Wife of Bath” within the Canterbury Tales. The argument is made that Chaucer intentionally used this character to present his personal feminist ideals to his audience, thereby acting as an advocate for women under the guise of literary author. Evidence will be presented both from the text by analyzing her characterization, imagery, and dialog while the weight of this thesis will rest upon The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer evidence presented by scholars, particularly from the “Chaucer Review” scholarly journal, as well as research conducted on the life and times of women during the medieval era.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights
AU  - Tiffany J. Smith
Y1  - 2014/05/20
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
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T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 76
EP  - 83
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
AB  - This paper critically analyzes Geoffrey Chaucer’s character Allison of his tale “The Wife of Bath” within the Canterbury Tales. The argument is made that Chaucer intentionally used this character to present his personal feminist ideals to his audience, thereby acting as an advocate for women under the guise of literary author. Evidence will be presented both from the text by analyzing her characterization, imagery, and dialog while the weight of this thesis will rest upon The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer evidence presented by scholars, particularly from the “Chaucer Review” scholarly journal, as well as research conducted on the life and times of women during the medieval era.
VL  - 2
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ER  -

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Author Information

Tiffany J. Smith

English Department/English Instructor, Fortis College, Winter Park, Florida, USA

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Tiffany J. Smith. (2014). The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. International Journal of Literature and Arts, 2(3), 76-83. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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ACS Style

Tiffany J. Smith. The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. Int. J. Lit. Arts 2014, 2(3), 76-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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AMA Style

Tiffany J. Smith. The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights. Int J Lit Arts. 2014;2(3):76-83. doi: 10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14

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@article{10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14,
  author = {Tiffany J. Smith},
  title = {The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights},
  journal = {International Journal of Literature and Arts},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {76-83},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ijla.20140203.14},
  abstract = {This paper critically analyzes Geoffrey Chaucer’s character Allison of his tale “The Wife of Bath” within the Canterbury Tales. The argument is made that Chaucer intentionally used this character to present his personal feminist ideals to his audience, thereby acting as an advocate for women under the guise of literary author. Evidence will be presented both from the text by analyzing her characterization, imagery, and dialog while the weight of this thesis will rest upon The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer evidence presented by scholars, particularly from the “Chaucer Review” scholarly journal, as well as research conducted on the life and times of women during the medieval era.},
 year = {2014}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights
AU  - Tiffany J. Smith
Y1  - 2014/05/20
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
T2  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JF  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
JO  - International Journal of Literature and Arts
SP  - 76
EP  - 83
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2331-057X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijla.20140203.14
AB  - This paper critically analyzes Geoffrey Chaucer’s character Allison of his tale “The Wife of Bath” within the Canterbury Tales. The argument is made that Chaucer intentionally used this character to present his personal feminist ideals to his audience, thereby acting as an advocate for women under the guise of literary author. Evidence will be presented both from the text by analyzing her characterization, imagery, and dialog while the weight of this thesis will rest upon The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer evidence presented by scholars, particularly from the “Chaucer Review” scholarly journal, as well as research conducted on the life and times of women during the medieval era.
VL  - 2
IS  - 3
ER  -

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