Cambridge University Press
978-1-316-61545-4 — The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
Geoffrey Chaucer , Edited by Valerie Allen , David Kirkham
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Cambridge University Press
978-1-316-61545-4 — The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
Geoffrey Chaucer , Edited by Valerie Allen , David Kirkham
Frontmatter
More Information
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Cover image: Le Club Symphonie/cultura/Corbis
Acknowledgements
Picture credits
Map illustration: Martin Sanders, Beehive Illustration Ltd
p05 UK City Images/Corbis; p9 Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library/Alamy Stock Photo; p14 The Judgements
of Solomon, Pacchiarotti, Giacomo (1474-1539/40)/Musée de Petit Palais, Avignon, France/Peter Willi/Bridgeman
Images; p18 Peter Barritt/Alamy Stock Photo; p30 Constantine Soutiaguin/Alamy Stock Photo; p34 Wiki; p76
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath’s Tale (colour litho), Goble, Warwick (1862-1943) (after)/Private Collection/
© Look and Learn/Bridgeman Images; p92 Bernger Von Horheim (late 12th century of the court of Henry IV. The
poet with his beloved holding a dog in her lap, a symbol of idelity. Codex Manesse (ca. 1300)./Photo © Tarker/
Bridgeman Images; p94 Ms.388/1475 fol.16r The Lord embracing the lady in the bedroom (vellum), French school
(15th century)/Musée Conde, Chantilly, France/Bridgeman Images; p97 Mary Evans Picture Library/Alamy Stock
Photo; p98 imageBROKER/Alamy Stock Photo; p100 Heritage Image Partnership Ltd/Alamy Stock Photo; p104
Cairney Down/Alamy Stock Photo; p 105 public domain; p107 public domain; p108 MS CCC 201 f.1 Page of text
with historiated initial depicting the dreamer, from ‘Piers Plowman’ by William Langland (vellum), English School/
© Corpus Christi College, Oxford, UK/Bridgeman Images
© in this web service Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press
978-1-316-61545-4 — The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
Geoffrey Chaucer , Edited by Valerie Allen , David Kirkham
Frontmatter
More Information
Contents
Introduction
2
What are the Canterbury Tales?
4
Chaucer’s language
6
The Wife of Bath’s contribution
9
Text and notes
10
The Portrait of the Wife of Bath
(From The General Prologue)
11
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue
13
The Wife of Bath’s Tale
25
The Tale she tells
96
Chaucer’s pilgrims
97
Pilgrims and pilgramages
99
Geoffrey Chaucer
101
Marriage or virginity?
103
The status of women in the fourteenth century
104
The role of the Church
106
Themes in the Wife of Bath
109
Glossary of frequently-used words
110
iii
© in this web service Cambridge University Press
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Cambridge University Press
978-1-316-61545-4 — The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
Geoffrey Chaucer , Edited by Valerie Allen , David Kirkham
Frontmatter
More Information
Introduction
Cambridge School
Chaucer
The irst encounter with a page of Chaucer
in its original form can be a disconcerting
experience. Initially, few words look familiar. Even
when the meaning has been puzzled out, the
reader is faced with an account of people who
lived and died in a world very different from
our own. The fourteenth century seems very
far away, and you might be forgiven for thinking
that The Canterbury Tales are ‘too dificult’.
one tale are not necessarily Chaucer’s own.
Many of the activities suggested are intended to
make you aware of the multiplicity of voices and
attitudes in The Canterbury Tales. A considerable
part of the enjoyment of the tales comes from
awareness of the tongue-in-cheek presence
of the author, who allows his characters to
speak for themselves, thereby revealing their
weaknesses and obsessions.
The aim of this series is therefore to introduce
you to the world of Chaucer in a way that will
make medieval language and life as accessible
as possible. With this in mind, we have adopted
a layout in which each right-hand page of text
is headed by a brief summary of content, and
faced by a left-hand page offering a glossary
of more dificult words and phrases as well
as commentary notes dealing with style,
characterisation and other relevant information.
There are illustrations, and suggestions for ways
in which you might become involved in the text
to help make it come alive.
Essential information contained in each book
includes a brief explanation of what The
Canterbury Tales are, followed by some hints
on handling the language. There is then a brief
introduction to the teller of the relevant story,
their portrait from The General Prologue, and an
initial investigation into the techniques Chaucer
uses to presents characters.
If initial hurdles are lowered in this way,
Chaucer’s wit and irony, his ability to suggest
character and caricature, and his delight in
raising provocative and challenging issues
from various standpoints can more readily be
appreciated and enjoyed. There is something
peculiarly delightful in discovering that someone
who lived 600 years ago had a sense of humour
and a grasp of personalities and relationships as
fresh and relevant today as it was then.
Each tale provides material for fruitful
discussion of fourteenth-century attitudes and
contemporary parallels. It is important to realize
that the views expressed by the teller of any
The left-hand-page commentaries give
information applicable to the text. Finally,
each book offers a full list of pilgrims,
further information about Chaucer’s own
life and works, some background history,
and greater discussion of speciic medieval
issues. Suggestions for essays and themes to
be explored are also included. On page 110
there is a relatively short glossary of the words
most frequently encountered in the text, to
supplement the more detailed glossaries on the
earlier pages.
Chaucer’s tales are witty, clever and
approachable, and raise interesting parallels
with life today. His manipulation of the shortstory form is masterly. We hope this edition
brings The Canterbury Tales alive and allows
you to appreciate Chaucer’s art with ease and
enjoyment.
This edition of The Wife of Bath’s Prologue uses the text of the poem established by James Winny in
Selected Tales from Chaucer.
2
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