Geoffrey Chaucer, The Miller's Tale

H.M. Cushman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Ed. by Sebastian Sobecki, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1387

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

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The Miller’s Prologue and Tale explode many of the promises of the General Prologue and of The Knight’s Tale. If at first the Host appears to control the tale-telling contest, the Miller’s domination of the Host in his prologue makes it clear that command of the game will constantly be renegotiated. If the aristocratic sensibilities of The Knight’s Tale prepare the reader for stories of chivalric heroes and their lofty values, The Miller’s Tale steers the poem headlong into the earthy, amoral, world of the French fabliau, where common people navigate material concerns (see Muscatine). The Miller takes

The Canterbury Tales

in new directions, and also initiates a general pattern that the tales will follow. That is, the poem will be structured largely by the principle of…

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2825 words

Citation: Cushman, H.M.. "The Miller's Tale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39381, accessed 08 May 2024.]

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