The Wife of Bath (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism) [Paperback]

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Peter G. Beidler (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0312111282 | ISBN-13: 978-0312111281 | Publication Date: December 15, 1995 | Edition: First Edition

Adopted at more than 1,000 colleges and universities, Bedford/St. Martin's innovative Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism series has introduced more than a quarter of a million students to literary theory and earned enthusiastic praise nationwide. Along with an authoritative text of a major literary work, each volume presents critical essays, selected or prepared especially for students, that approach the work from several contemporary critical perspectives, such as gender criticism and cultural studies. Each essay is accompanied by an introduction (with bibliography) to the history, principles, and practice of its critical perspective. Every volume also surveys the biographical, historical, and critical contexts of the literary work and concludes with a glossary of critical terms. New editions reprint cultural documents that contextualize the literary works and feature essays that show how critical perspectives can be combined.

Product Details

• Paperback: 306 pages
• Publisher: Bedford/St. Martin's; First Edition edition (December 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312111282
• ISBN-13: 978-0312111281
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #78 in Books > History > Europe > Wales

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Are You Man Enough to Be Husband Six?, February 16, 2008

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Giordano Bruno (Wherever I am, I am.) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale CD: From The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Read by Elizabeth Salter (Selected Tales from Chaucer) (Audio CD)

There is no poet in any language of more extravagant wit and wisdom than old Geoffrey Chaucer, and no more universal, but for the challenge of the language. Like Homer in Greek, Dante in Italian, Chaucer set the bar too high for anyone ever to exceed him. And how fundamentally English he was, as if all the "personality" of our literature flowed from the same cultural spring!

My generation may have been almost the last to memorize the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales and to learn the few easy rules of pronunciation and syntax we needed to enjoy Chaucer. Helas! The times, they are a-changing. Still, a few years ago I had an irrational lust to revive my ability to read Middle English, just for fun. I discovered that there were audio-books of many of the Canterbury Tales, including the Wife of Bath's salacious masterpiece. Of all Chaucer's dramatis personae, the Wife of Bath is surely the most humanly convincing, the randy old dame! "Why, I'm probably just the right age to be husband number six," thought I. So I ordered this CD. By the time the CD reached me, I'd forgotten my urge to make use of it. In fact, I forgot I had it until yesterday, when it somehow popped out of the shelf at me.

Elizabeth Salter and her unnamed male foil speak the poetry of Chaucer with enough 'naturalness' to persuade me, particularly since recording technology was still rather crude in the 1300s. With the ability to pause the disk by remote, I find that I can follow the most familiar parts of the Wife's narrative comfortably. For most of the tale, however, I have to keep my eyes on the text. I wouldn't mind if Salter had delivered her words just a trifle slower, but then perhaps the rollicking cadences wouldn't have frolicked so mirthfully. There are lots of editions of the Canterbury Tales available with old and new English on facing pages, making the effort much easier.

This is probably not everyone's idea of fun, what with movies of Beowulf starring naked babes as Grendel's Mother and such. But Chaucer is too good to be lost. If YOU the parents of America no longer have the willpower to compel your teenagers to labor through the Canterbury Tales, then it's YOUR obligation to do so yourselves!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Insightful Piece of Literature!!!, April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale (Selected Tales from Chaucer) (Paperback)

Chaucer has given me a greater insight into life in the 14th century. We see the hypocrisy of the "genteel" people of the time. He has also transcended the boundaries of time for we can still see evidence of this hypocrisy in todays society. The Wife is a strong female character and the reader can not be certain if she is feminist or anti-feminist nor can they be certain if Chaucer is laughing at her or with her. This was a very crafty device by Chaucer's and he must be commended for it. This device is shown in how long Chaucer allows the Wife to speak about herself, it is the longest prologue in the book except of course for the General Prologue. The Wife's views and issues can also be seen in her choice of tale but her voice seems somewhat more subdued here and we can distinctly see Chaucer's own views and ideas coming out in the tale.The very poetic style in which it is written also intices the reader to read on. Altogether quite an insightful piece of literature.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book about the Wife of Bath!, May 4, 2005

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Sylviastel - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Wife of Bath (Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism) (Paperback)

I recommend this book to anybody interested in Sir Geoffrey Chaucer's Wife of Bath or the Canterbury Tales. The essays and articles are insightful, well-written, and extremely thought provoking. If you are a fan or a student studying the Canterbury Tales and you need to read more about the Wife of Bath, this is the book for you. I love the style and design of the book. It is well structured and organized. No other book out there covers the Wife of Bath like this book.