The Matriarch of Bath – Chaucer’s Feminist Insights

Abstract

This paper critically analyzes Geoffrey Chaucer's character Allison of his tale "The Wife of Bath" within the Canterbury Tales. The argument is made that Chaucer intentionally used this character to present his personal feminist ideals to his audience, thereby acting as an advocate for women under the guise of literary author. Evidence will be presented both from the text by analyzing her characterization, imagery, and dialog while the weight of this thesis will rest upon The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer evidence presented by scholars, particularly from the "Chaucer Review" scholarly journal, as well as research conducted on the life and times of women during the medieval era.

Chaucer's gender‐oriented philosophy in The Canterbury Tales

“…Thus, Chaucer is viewed by critics as both an enemy and a friend of woman. Joanna Shearer (2007) and Tiffany J. Smith (2014) contend that Chaucer is an advocate of women while Larry Benson 2 and John Hines (1993) argue that the poet is misogynist. Also, Beverly Kennedy (1997) confirms that the image and tale of “the Wife of Bath” are “informed by clerical asceticism, misogyny and misogamy” (p. 23); conversely, Aranye Fradenburg (2002) introduces Chaucer as “a chivalrous rescuer of the reputations of women” (p. 196).…”