Hood College Chaucerians

" Our old-style position that objectivist neutrality is where medievalists should be no longer works, because it facilitates white supremacists/white nationalists/KKK/Nazis and their horrific deployment of the Middle Ages"  -Dorothy Kim "Teaching Medieval Studies in a Time of White Supremacy"  " The tale, like other crusading romances, demands to be understood through the lens of a medieval notion of racial identity that is characterized by religious and political difference." -Cord Whitaker "Race and Racism: The Man of Law's Tale" 

"Put simply: if you believe that public scholars are doing something that is necessary for the continuing health and popularity of our discipline, then you owe them your support when their work brings an abusive backlash." -- Sara Bond and Donna Zuckerberg "Support isn't a zero-sum game: withholding it from someone you consider privileged doesn't mean you'll have more to give to someone less privileged." -- Sara Bond and Donna Zuckerberg Quotes taken from "Whose Job Is It to Support a Harassed Scholar?" By Donna Zuckerberg

     Oh my God! God is everywhere in this tale... I agree with Amanda that this story is almost like an advertisement for Christianity. I think that Custaunce is named strategically and is meant to represent the constant presence of God and of the religion of Christianity. After all, she is the sole reason that the Sultan wanted to convert himself and everyone to followers of God! The Sultan fell in love with Custaunce because of how the merchants described her to him - he never laid eyes on her. Similarly, Christianity is not a tangible thing, it can only be described and talked about. Also, when the Sultan's mother is plotting her revenge, she is described as a snake, which is reminiscent of the serpent in Eden that represents sin and deception. When this serpent woman carries out her sneaky plan, Cunstaunce (AKA Christianity) is the only survivor. Hm...coincidence?

Am I wrong to say that the “The Man of Law’s Tale” is more like a persuasive essay than a tale? “The Man of Law’s Tale” attempts to convince readers to convert to Christianity by illustrating three situations in which “God liste to shewe his wonderful myracle…for we sholde seen his myghty werkis…” (477-478). First, it is insisted that only God could have saved Constance from death (470-483). Second, Alla is smite by God for swearing a lie on the book (669-686). Lastly, Alla finds his wife and son while seeking penance (1149-1161). I guess the Man of Law’s angle is clever if the Host is Christian, which seems to be the case, considering the fact that the Host is ready for full sermon mode in the Epilogue. Speaking of the Epilogue, I love how Chaucer allows the Shipman to immediately interject the idea of a sermon and prepare the company for an entirely different, less elaborate tale than those that were told before him. "Thoughts on Secular Conversion" from In...

How the heck does Custance get so unlucky as to have the two worst mothers-in-law in the world? I mean really, she’s so nice and great and the guys she gets married to are so loyal to her, but apparently that means nothing to Fate or Fortune or whoever. Anyway, while I was reading, two quotes from the text stood out to me. The first is from Custance as she is about to leave for Syria: “Wommen are born to thraldom and penance, And to been under mannes governance.” (“The Man of Law’s Tale,” I. 286-7) Here, Custance is speaking about how she believes women are meant to be married and submitted to their husbands, according to her Christian beliefs. However, a quote by the wicked Sultaness comes in sharp contrast to Custance’s remarks: "What sholde us tyden of this newe lawe But thraldom to oure bodies and penance…” (“The Man of Law’s Tale,” I. 337-8) Here, the Sultaness is speaking about how Christianity is a religion that will only enslave and submit her and her people. Bu...

The Man of Law's Tale was not what I was expecting it to be. Although, religious justice is a theme throughout, it was not the "justice" I had in mind. In contrast to the other tales we have read, it is very different. It has conventions like the Knight's Tale, but instead of the tale being riddled with romantic medieval tropes, it is full of familiar religious narratives and iconography. In my opinion, this tale resembles a sermon. The Man of Law embeds his tale with Christian iconography to reinforce his own personal moral and religious beliefs. Looking at this tale in a broader perspective, it is clear that in Chaucer's world religious conflict was a very real issue, and this tale emphasizes his worldview. I still cannot decide if I like this tale or not. It is filled with death and suffering, but the outcome of it all, ends up being something good. Cantigas de Santa Maria 13th Century Alfonso X

A paragraph is an elusive thing: it seems like something really obvious, something we have known how to write since elementary school. But how do you define a paragraph? How can you tell a good paragraph from a lackluster one? And how do you write the kind of paragraphs that make it easier to communicate your ideas to your reader? Simply put, a paragraph is a group of sentences that develop a single idea. That’s it. The correct length for a paragraph is however many sentences are required to introduce the idea of the paragraph, explain that idea, provide any necessary examples or evidence, explain that evidence, wrap up your idea, and (sometimes) transition into your next idea. However, you have to stick to a single idea! If you can’t write a clear, well-developed paragraph, you can’t write a good paper, a clear memo, a convincing email, or an enticing cover letter. Those who master the paragraph are ready to take on the world! Home Office photo by Free-Photos on Pixabay.com ...