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Peter Brown is Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Kent and Chair of its School of English. His publications include Reading Dreams: The Interpretation of Dreams from Chaucer to Shakespeare (editor and contributor), Chaucer at Work: The Making of the Canterbury Tales, and, with Andrew Butcher, The Age of Saturn: Literature and History in the Canterbury Tales.‘This collection of accessible, informative essays provides students and teachers with a balance of textual analysis and cultural contexts designed to enhance the understanding of Chaucer's major and minor works . . . Both serious first-time readers of Chaucer and veterans looking for credible information on more recent avenues of inquiry will find this a valuable source of information and bibliography.' <i>Choice</i><br /> <p><i>"</i>This work, the latest entry in Blackwell's "Companions to Literature and Culture" series. . . provides an inclusive and scholarly orientation to current theories and interpretation of Chaucer's works." "Each essay. . . places Chaucer's texts into cultural context by examining the medieval point of view, and includes notes, references, and suggestions for further readings." "The text. . . will serve well as a one-volume introduction for new students. It also provides access to original research and new ideas sought by graduate students and faculty." <i>Library Journal</i><br /> </p> <p>"Overall, this is useful book. providing an up-to-date survey of the state of Chaucer scholarship on a wide range of issues...it will provoke interesting and educational debates in and out of the classroom." <i>Reference Reviews</i><br /> </p> <p>"[This book] is both highly readable and rich in its diversity, a book which any Chaucerian, novice or seasoned, will often pick up simply for the pleasure of browsing[...] Every student of Chaucer, from undergraduate to emiritus professor, will want to have access to it." <i>English Studies: A Journal of English Language and Literature</i></p>
The Contributors ix
Acknowledgements xv
Abbreviations of Chaucer's Works xvi
The Idea of a Chaucer Companion 1
Peter Brown
1 Afterlife 8
Carolyn Collette
2 Authority 23
Andrew Galloway
3 Bodies 40
Linda Ehrsam Voigts
4 Chivalry 58
Derek Brewer
5 Christian Ideologies 75
Nicholas Watson
6 Comedy 90
Laura Kendrick
7 Contemporary English Writers 114
James Simpson
8 Crisis and Dissent 133
Alcuin Blamires
9 France 149
Michael Hanly
10 Games 167
Malcolm Andrew
11 Genre 180
Caroline D. Eckhardt
12 Geography and Travel 195
Scott D. Westrem
13 Italy 218
David Wallace
14 Language 235
David Burnley
15 Life Histories 251
Janette Dillon
16 London 266
Michael Hanrahan
17 Love 281
Helen Phillips
18 Modes of Representation 296
Edward Wheatley
19 Narrative 312
Robert R. Edwards
20 Other Thought-worlds 332
Susanna Fein
21 Pagan Survivals 349
John M. Fyler
22 Personal Identity 360
Lynn Staley
23 Science 378
Irma Taavitsainen
24 Social Structures 397
Robert Swanson
25 Style 414
John F. Plummer
26 Texts 428
Tim William Machan
27 Translation 443
Roger Ellis
28 Visualizing 459
Sarah Stanbury
29 Women 480
Nicky Hallett
Index 495
Using an entirely new structure which highlights issues and themes, the Companion encourages movement across different Chaucerian compositions and beyond literary frames of reference, moving from textual analysis to cultural context and back again.
Whether the reader of Chaucer is curious about language, Christianity, eroticism, astrology, concepts of the self, pilgrimage, violence, heresy, London, or any of a host of other topics, this book will provide food for thought. Each of these original and accessible essays, written by an internationally distinguished team of Chaucer scholars, provides an account of the key issues, applies these to specific passages in Chaucer's work and includes an annotated bibliography.
The chapters are arranged alphabetically by topic, and broken down into compact sections for ease of use. The Companion is also fully cross-referenced, encouraging students to explore particular themes further.
Designed both as a contribution to original research and as a text for students, A Companion to Chaucer is an essential resource for everyone involved in Chaucer studies.