Part SevenOnce reviled as an example of Chaucer at his most tasteless and omitted from some editions of The Canterbury Tales, this scatological anecdote has over time been accorded genuine admiration, first grudging and finally unabashed. As in The Miller's Tale, Chaucer has elaborated a simple fart joke into pungent satire against human foibles. Here too, through subtle references to religious lore, Chaucer transforms mere vulgarity into a truly clever jest and, in the opinion of some critics, a serious commentary on important issues. The particular target of the tale's satire is a friar who is so blinded by greed, hypocrisy, and anger that he cannot see how others perceive him.
| ISBN: | 9780806127446 |
| Publication date: | 30th November 1995 |
| Author: | Geoffrey Chaucer |
| Publisher: | University of Oklahoma Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 272 pages |
| Series: | Variorum Chaucer Series |
| Genres: |
Literary studies: poetry and poets Literary studies: ancient, classical and medieval Poetry by individual poets |