Chaucerian Conflict: Languages of Antagonism in Late Fourteenth-Century LondonClarendon Press, 30 nov. 2006 - 224 pages Chaucerian Conflict explores the textual environment of London in the 1380s and 1390s, revealing a language of betrayal, surveillance, slander, treason, rebellion, flawed idealism, and corrupted compaignyes. Taking a strongly interdisciplinary approach, it examines how discourses about social antagonism work across different kinds of texts written at this time, including Chaucer's House of Fame, Troilus and Criseyde, and Canterbury Tales, and other literary texts such as St Erkenwald, Gower's Vox clamantis, Usk's Testament of Love, and Maidstone's Concordia. Many non-literary texts are also discussed, including the Mercers' Petition, Usk's Appeal, the guild returns, judicial letters, de Mezieres's Letter to Richard II, and chronicle accounts. These were tumultuous decades in London: some of the conflicts and problems discussed include the Peasants' Revolt, the mayoral rivalries of the 1380s, the Merciless Parliament, slander legislation, and contemporary suspicion of urban associations. While contemporary texts try to hold out hope for the future, or imagine an earlier Golden Age, Chaucer's texts foreground social conflict and antagonism. Though most critics have promoted an idea of Chaucer's texts as essentially socially optimistic and congenial, Marion Turner argues that Chaucer presents a vision of a society that is inevitably divided and destructive. |
Table des matières
1 | |
Slander the House of Fame and the Mercers Petition | 8 |
Troilus and Criseyde and the Treasonous Aldermen of 1382 | 31 |
Troynovaunt in the Late Fourteenth Century | 56 |
Thomas Usks Social Fantasies | 93 |
The Canterbury Fellowship and Urban Associational Form | 127 |
The Language of Peace and Chaucers Tale of Melibee | 167 |
Conclusion | 192 |
Bibliography | 195 |
209 | |
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accused Aeneas Aeneid aggression aldermen associated behaviour betrayal Book Brembre Brembre's Cambridge Canterbury Tales Chaucer Review Chaucer's texts Chaucerian Polity civic Clanvowe compaignye conflict contemporary context Criseyde's Crisis of Truth David death depiction desire discourse discussion emphasizes England example fact fellowship fourteenth-century London Fradenburg fragmentation Gilds Gower guild returns History House of Fame House of Rumour Ibid idea ideal implies John Gower king language late fourteenth century Late Medieval Literature livery Lollard Lords Appellant Love's Manciple Manciple's mercers Merciless Parliament Middle English Northampton Oxford Pandarus Pandarus's Pardoner Pardoner's Tale Parliament Paul Strohm peace Peasants Petition pilgrims poem political proclamation Prologue Prudence Prudence's rebels reference reveals Revolt Richard Richard II Slavoj Žižek society St Erkenwald suggests Tale of Melibee textual thyng traitor trans treason trewe Troilus and Criseyde Troilus's Trojan Troy University Press urban Usk's Wallace Westminster Chronicle words writes þat