Weeks 4-6: The Language of Seduction
1. Cite some variations in the Loathly Lady fabula across the three tales in your Reader. Focus on the conditions by which the lady is either beautiful or ugly, and the actions of the knight/king/"hero"... 2. The Wife of Bath's Tale is considered by some critics to indicate that Chaucer may have been a feminist. Why might they believe this? Do you agree? Remember to cite evidence from the text or some other source. 3. Hahn's essay (see critical reader) on The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle identifies the motif of the loathly lady, but arguably it has a different purpose than asserting the feminine. What does he think the function of the story is? 4. In the context of Elizabethan and Jacobean sonnets, how can we define "conceits"? 5. Discuss what you think is the most striking or outrageous example. 6. What does Revard (1997) suggest about the relationship between language, sex, power and transgression in the English R...
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