I agree that seems as if Chaucer it setting us up for an interesting portrayal of women. By telling us not to take it literally, he has more creative freedom as a writer. In the Canterbury tales, women were either quiet and obedient (Grislde and Cunstonce) or they were manipulative and sneaky (Wife of Bath and Alyuson). There was not much of a true example of a Woman who could be an actual role model. In this prologue he takes to describing flowers and meadows and women in a very over the top and lengthy way.
“The empress and the flow’r of flowers all
I pray to God that faire may she fall!
And all that love flowers, for her sake:
But, nathelesse, ween not that I make
In praising of the Flow’r against the Leaf”
This leads me to believe there may be sarcastic undertones to what he will be writing about the different women. He says the Goddess love has told him to write stories that praise women and from reading Chaucer’s other works it leads me to believe he will be exploring some of the same gender reversal and satire as used in the Canterbury Tales. Of the women he lists to describe, the only name I know is Cleopatra, which if he is re-telling her story that might point to why he is warning people not to take his view of history whole heartedly. And the story of Cleopatra she is a vixen, and betrays Ceaser to be with Mark Anthony and then commits suicide, not exactly a bright shining example of a noble woman.
It will be interesting to see whether he does actually portray women in a good light or not. Another interesting thing this prologue points out is to the date this may have been written. Was it after the Canterbury tales or during since he referencing stories he has written about women which many are contained in the tales?
I agree that seems as if Chaucer it setting us up for an interesting portrayal of women. By telling us not to take it literally, he has more creative freedom as a writer. In the Canterbury tales, women were either quiet and obedient (Grislde and Cunstonce) or they were manipulative and sneaky (Wife of Bath and Alyuson). There was not much of a true example of a Woman who could be an actual role model. In this prologue he takes to describing flowers and meadows and women in a very over the top and lengthy way.
“The empress and the flow’r of flowers all
I pray to God that faire may she fall!
And all that love flowers, for her sake:
But, nathelesse, ween not that I make
In praising of the Flow’r against the Leaf”
This leads me to believe there may be sarcastic undertones to what he will be writing about the different women. He says the Goddess love has told him to write stories that praise women and from reading Chaucer’s other works it leads me to believe he will be exploring some of the same gender reversal and satire as used in the Canterbury Tales. Of the women he lists to describe, the only name I know is Cleopatra, which if he is re-telling her story that might point to why he is warning people not to take his view of history whole heartedly. And the story of Cleopatra she is a vixen, and betrays Ceaser to be with Mark Anthony and then commits suicide, not exactly a bright shining example of a noble woman.
It will be interesting to see whether he does actually portray women in a good light or not. Another interesting thing this prologue points out is to the date this may have been written. Was it after the Canterbury tales or during since he referencing stories he has written about women which many are contained in the tales?
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