Geoffrey Chaucer, The Legend of Good Women

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Chaucer’s

Legend of Good Women

, widely regarded as the most problematic of his dream visions, exists in thirteen manuscript witnesses which contain nine surviving narratives and two versions of the prologue from what was once a larger work, according to Chaucer’s own words (see Cowen and Kane). He referred to the poem both as “the Seintes Legende of Cupide” (

MLT

, 61) and “the Book of the XXV. Ladies” (

Ret

, 1086), names superseded in modern editorial practice which has established the title by which we refer to the poem today.

A palinode written in response to the tragic story of the double sorrow of Troilus and Criseyde, the poem announces that its purpose is to tell tales of good women who were faithful in love in a variety of difficult and painful circumstances. The nine

2085 words

Citation: Collette, Carolyn. "The Legend of Good Women". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 May 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=375, accessed 19 March 2024.]

375 The Legend of Good Women 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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