Chaucer in Context: Society, Allegory and Gender

by Stephen H. Rigby

Amongst the most written about works of English literature, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales still defy categorization, claims the author of this book. Was Chaucer a poet of profound religious piety or a sceptic who questioned all religious and moral certainties? Do his pilgrims reflect the society of the day, or were they a product of an already well-established literary tradition and convention? Surveying and assessing competing critical approaches to Chaucer's work, this text emphasizes a need to see Chaucer in historical context; the context of the social and political concerns of his own day.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0719042364
• ISBN13: 9780719042362
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.4"