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 Talesin 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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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 10 November 2024.]