Chaucer's House of Fame: The Poetics of Skeptical Fideism (Paperback)

by SHEILA DELANY (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

 

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.

 

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.

 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 148 pages
• Publisher: University Press of Florida (April 28, 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.com Sales Rank: #3,499,708 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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 50 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.