An Illusion of Choice: An Analysis of Geoffrey Chaucer's Gender Politic
Date
2-19-2025
Faculty Mentor
Teresa Reed, English
Files
Submission Type
Conference Proceeding
Location
10:00-10:10am | Houston Cole Library, 11th Floor
Description
Please note: no video is available for this video.
Male anxieties are the culmination of reactions that men project upon women when the patriarchy is subverted by female means. In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer illustrates how patriarchal rule determines the interactions between both men and women by developing complex figures who submit or rebel to the overwhelming societal expectations that dictate the performance of gender. Whereas characters such as Emilye of “The Knight’s Tale” are rewarded for their virtuousness and willingness to obey the demands of masculine society, characters such as the Wife of Bath in “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” are villainized for subverting patriarchal values and deciding their own principles. Despite the lines drawn by Chaucer’s definition of masculinity and femininity in The Canterbury Tales, the introduction of Criseyde in Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde creates a complex figure that exists between the favored and feared wife. While submitting to the feelings of “pity” she develops for Troilus’s lovesickness, Criseyde decides at the end of the poem to rebel from the wills of the patriarchal structures that govern her; instead, she paves a way for her own freedom by making a choice that villainizes her in the eyes of Pandarus, Troilus and the traditional male audience. In this presentation, I will analyze Criseyde’s complex identity through the different lenses of the favored and feared wife, exemplifying Chaucer’s demonstration of how the body is governed by existing and prevailing gender politics.
Keywords
student research, English, literature
Rights
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Disciplines
English Language and Literature
Recommended Citation
Dunn, Katelyn, "An Illusion of Choice: An Analysis of Geoffrey Chaucer's Gender Politic" (2025). JSU Student Symposium 2025. 40.
https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/ce_jsustudentsymp_2025/40
