Author : Heiner Gillmeister
Publisher : Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (49 download)
Book Synopsis Chaucer's Conversion by : Heiner Gillmeister
Download or read book Chaucer's Conversion written by Heiner Gillmeister and published by Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften. This book was released on 1984 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The question of whether the medieval «secular» poem was capable of receiving a figurative or allegorical interpretation, quite distinct from its surface meaning, is reconsidered by looking afresh at Chaucer's most intriguing short poem, the ballad Truth, which is conceived of as a poème à clef. Identification of the ultimate source of its imagery, 1 Samuel 6, leads to a discussion of how allegorical interpretations assigned to the biblical narrative by the medieval exegete could have affected the poet's life and work. In this issue, an important rôle is played by medieval linguistic theory. As a consequence, a great deal of attention is given to one linguistic discipline, medieval name lore, and an attempt is made to show how, by an allegorical interpretation of his own name, Chaucer was led to «revise» both his life and his literary work.