Chaucer Wife of Bath

Katie Arnold

EN 390

Dr. Watts

29 April 2015

Title Here

Critics have been debating the different interpretations of Alisoun, The Wife of Bath, for many years. On one hand, there is Alisoun, the proto-feminist who is able to out maneuver the men in her life. On the other side of this is Alisoun, the deceitful and untrustworthy old woman. Critics who take the latter approach are able to make much more convincing arguments because they are able to directly use the text of The Canterbury Tales without manipulation. There is no reading in between the lines when Alisoun is described in a negative fashion. On the contrary, when trying to argue that Alisoun is meant to be a feminist and proves herself to be one, critics are forced to bend Chaucer’s words and unpack them in ways that allow their points to be made. While there are certain virtues from reading and interpreting this way, it causes people to lose sight of what the author intended. By first looking back at the actual text of The Canterbury Tales, one can see how Chaucer creates an unpleasant shrew. When applying what constitutes a modern day feminist, Alisoun is only distanced farther from being characterized in such a way. Through this lens, Alisoun is simply a loud and lusty wfye.

The General Prologue sets the stage for The Canterbury Tales and Chaucer gives the reader vivid and oftentimes lengthy descriptions of the pilgrims. Alisoun is one such character who receives a good amount of attention in “The General Prologue.” From the beginning, Chaucer allows the reader to see Alisoun is a pretentious woman. He writes:

In al the parisshe wif ne was ther noon

That to the offrynge bifore hire sholde goon;

And if ther dide, certeyn so wrooth was she

That she was out of alle charitee.

l. 449-452

In this passage, Chaucer explains shows Alisoun to care more about how people perceive her than helping those in need. This quality is indisputably something to look down on. Alisoun is...