A02+A03 The Wife Of Bath

A02 Quotes
1. 'Abide!' Quod she 'My tale hat not begonne'
  1. Forceful nature
    1. Shows inherent charisma of the wife
      1. Forshadows the full lenghth of the prolougue
      2. The wife refuses to acknowlege the arguement
    2. Used by chaucer to break what could be considered a lull in the prolouge
      1. An objection followed by an excalmaticve response helps aid the flow
        appears more human
2. Experience, though noon auctoritee were in this world, is right ynough for me to speke of wo that is marriage
  1. The Openining line to the prolouge begins in medias res
    1. specifically designed to suggest this is the main aspect of the wife's character
      1. This aids chaucer in promoting the wife's views to the reader this entire poem then becomes rhetoric
  2. "Wo that is marriage" suggests a very one sided view of marriage
    1. Though ironically it could be said that her husbands faced far more wo than she did
3. Thou liknest eek wommens love to helle, To bareyne lond, ther water water may nat dwelle.
  1. A03 views
    1. James Winny
      1. The irony of the situation lies in the wife's repeating a rightful complaint as evidence of the exasperations which she has to bear.
        Which again promotes an antifemminist character suggesting only basic knowlwdge and therefore ignorance
        Something a reasonable scholar would chuckle at i suppose.
        Perhaps the wife is less a femminist novel and more anti-femmiinist
  2. Analysis
    1. Here Chaucer has shown the wife's use of manipulation again suggesting her husband likens her to Hell which is a fierce accusation.
      1. Religion was fiercley guarded and as such the nature of the wife's complaint is very damning.
    2. Chaucer depicts the wife in this segment as a nag a general view of the age.
    3. The line "To bareyne lond" is important for divulging the nature of the wife's complaint as it links in sexual themes and suggests that women are built for childbirth but can be like a Barren land instead.
4. By God! on earth i was his purgatoree
  1. Clear lack of remorse
    1. But then turns arond and prays that he is in heaven
      1. Oddly cntradictory.
A03
1. James Winny
  1. Adopting the method of shcolastic arguement, she has contested the prohibitive morality of the Medieval Church.
    1. Here Winny raised an interesting point suggesting that the wife thinks ahed of her time and promotes a freethinking church and one that is less conformal.
      1. This seems a fair view of the Wife who seems to promote experience over biblical authority.
  2. Her confessions do much more than fill in the details of the wife's private history
    1. Important suggets that their is a deeper meaning to the overall confession - agree this is obvious in the manner it is taken.
      1. At times the arguement seems rehearsed and at others made on the spot
        All to produce a more human response
2. Helen Cooper
  1. Its tone and purpose take it far away from any recognizable theological for of confession
    1. Important for determening the nature of the earliest parts of the prolouge
      1. The wife may be conflicted over the nature of her actions and provides the lack of focus in her arguement and rhetoric
  2. She is adept at seizing the iniative, in accusing them of accusing her of all the usual antifeminist charges
    1. The wife has a knack for control as is evident but the iniative is also important and is recognised by Cooper as being the important point.
      1. Cooper has shown that chaucer creates a hypocrtical character displaying control of her life yet appearing to promote antifemminist literature.
        Could this be chaucers intention?
  3. La vielle, like the wife, had a lover who mistreated her but who could always win her over by her sexual skill, as jankin can alison
    1. Cooper cites a direct link used by cooper and this view would be true if it were not for the fact that the wife wins over jankin in the end La Vielle does not. This suggests alison is of greater integrity.

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A02+A03 The Wife Of Bath

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	Created by Godcomplex over 9 years ago