Chaucer's House of Fame: The Poetics of Skeptical Fideism [Paperback]

Sheila Delany (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813012597 | ISBN-13: 978-0813012599 | Publication Date: April 1, 1994

 

On its original publication this classic title made sense of a difficult poem for the first time and brought that poem to the center of a concern with the nature of tradition, textuality, and language that is current today.  The book forces late-medieval philosophy out of the closet and into a relation with literature, and it validates the use of contemporary methods and sensibility in literary criticism.  In Sheila Delany's view, House of Fame portrays the ambiguity of old or new communication, with skeptical fideism as the means of transcending ambiguity.

 

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

From reviews of the first edition:

"Fresh insights into Chaucer's poem."--Medium Aevum

"A glimpse into the possible dynamics of Chaucerian ambiguity."—Speculum

"Delany has placed Chaucerian scholars in her debt. . . . She has, most important of all, acknowledged that the real subject of the poem is poetry itself, and that Chaucer's concern throughout is to explore artistic problems."--Modern Philology

On its original publication this classic title made sense of a difficult poem for the first time and brought that poem to the center of a concern with the nature of tradition, textuality, and language that is current today.  The book forces late-medieval philosophy out of the closet and into a relation with literature, and it validates the use of contemporary methods and sensibility in literary criticism.  In Sheila Delany's view, House of Fame portrays the ambiguity of old or new communication, with skeptical fideism as the means of transcending ambiguity.

 

About the Author

Sheila Delany is professor of English at Simon Fraser University.  She is the author of many articles and books, including most recently The Naked Text:  Chaucer's  Legend of Good Women and A Legend of Holy Women, a translation of a fifteenth-century legendary by Osbern Bokenham.

Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida (April 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813012597
• ISBN-13: 978-0813012599
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,235,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A pioneering study of Chaucer, October 17, 2004

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Chaucer's House of Fame; The Poetics of Skeptical Fideism. (Hardcover)

Sheila Delany provides an important insight into Chaucer's view of the world in her definition of his complex perception of religious reality . His ' skeptical fideism' his belief which incorporates doubt and question is a central sign of the sophistication of the Chaucerian world- view. Delany writes clearly and interestingly in a scholarly study which the general reader can also greatly enjoy.