Chaucer's Pardoner and Gender Theory: Bodies of Discourse (New Middle Ages) [Hardcover]

Robert S. Sturges (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312213662 | ISBN-13: 978-0312213664 | Publication Date: March 2, 2000 | Edition: 1st

Chaucer’s Pardoner and Gender Theory, the first book-length treatment of the character, examines the Pardoner in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales from the perspective of both medieval and twentieth-century theories of sex, gender, and erotic practice. Sturges argues for a discontinuous, fragmentary reading of this character and his tale that is genuinely both premodern and postmodern. Drawing on theorists ranging from St. Augustine and Alain de Lille to Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Sturges approaches the Pardoner as a representative of the construction of historical--and sexual--identities in a variety of historically specific discourses, and argues that medieval understandings of gender remain sedimented in postmodern discourse.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Many journal articles have been published about the sexuality of the Pardoner in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, but this is the first book-length study of the character. Along with its extensive examination of the Pardoner's sexuality, the book delves into medieval society's perception of and attitudes toward ambiguous gender. In fact, this effort, part of "The New Middle Ages" series, which emphasizes transdisciplinary studies of medieval cultures, focuses more on medieval views of gender than on analyzing Chaucer's work. Most readers would find a selection of journal articles about Chaucer's Pardoner more useful and accessible. Sturges (English, Univ. of New Orleans) has published numerous articles and one book about medieval French literature. Because his vocabulary is very specialized and his literary quotations are not translated, readers must be familiar with Middle English and with gender-studies terminology. Recommended for academic libraries only.
-Shana C. Fair, Ohio Univ., Zanesville
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"...the arguments...throughout the book are presented lucidly...the book is never dull." --College Literature

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1st edition (March 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312213662
• ISBN-13: 978-0312213664
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #989,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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