Geoffrey Chaucer, Retraction

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Chaucer's

Canterbury Tales

(

CT

) closes with a short prose text popularly known as Chaucer's

Retraction

(

Ret

). The

Retraction

is the second part of Fragment X (I), comprising twelve prose lines framed by the opening rubric, “Heere taketh the makere of this book his leve”, and the closing rubric, “Heere is ended the book of the tales of Caunterbury, compiled by Geffrey Chaucer, of whos soule Jhesu Crist have mercy. Amen.” The date is most likely later than 1387 but cannot be confirmed. Scholars have debated the authorship, authenticity, and meaning of the

Retraction

; earlier scholarship views it as Chaucer's deathbed confession, whereas more recent examinations vis-à-vis both literary and codicological traditions affirm its literary and canon forming functions (Obermeier,

History

2675 words

Citation: Obermeier, Anita. "Retraction". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 August 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19957, accessed 29 March 2024.]

19957 Retraction 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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