Chaucer and the Norse and Celtic Worlds

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Chaucer and the Norse and Celtic Worlds by Rory McTurk, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Rory McTurk ISBN: 9781351952545
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Rory McTurk
ISBN: 9781351952545
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: March 2, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Through an examination of Old Norse and Celtic parallels to certain works of Chaucer, McTurk here identifies hitherto unrecognized sources for these works in early Irish tradition. He revives the idea that Chaucer visited Ireland between 1361 and 1366, placing new emphasis on the date of the enactment of the Statute of Kilkenny. Examining Chaucer’s House of Fame, McTurk uncovers parallels involving eagles, perilous entrances, and scatological jokes about poetry in the Topographia Hibernie by Gerald of Wales, Snorri Sturluson’s Edda, and the Old Irish sagas Fled Bricrend and Togail Bruidne Da Derga. He compares The Canterbury Tales, with its use of the motif of a journey as a framework for a tale-collection, with both Snorri’s Edda and the Middle Irish saga Acallam na Senórach. McTurk presents a compelling argument that these works represent Irish traditions which influenced Chaucer’s writing. In this study, McTurk also argues that the thirteenth-century Icelandic Laxdæla Saga and Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale each descend from an Irish version of the Loathly Lady story. Further, he surmises that Chaucer’s five-stress line may derive from the tradition of Irish song known as amhrán, which, there is reason to suppose, existed in Ireland well before Chaucer’s time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Through an examination of Old Norse and Celtic parallels to certain works of Chaucer, McTurk here identifies hitherto unrecognized sources for these works in early Irish tradition. He revives the idea that Chaucer visited Ireland between 1361 and 1366, placing new emphasis on the date of the enactment of the Statute of Kilkenny. Examining Chaucer’s House of Fame, McTurk uncovers parallels involving eagles, perilous entrances, and scatological jokes about poetry in the Topographia Hibernie by Gerald of Wales, Snorri Sturluson’s Edda, and the Old Irish sagas Fled Bricrend and Togail Bruidne Da Derga. He compares The Canterbury Tales, with its use of the motif of a journey as a framework for a tale-collection, with both Snorri’s Edda and the Middle Irish saga Acallam na Senórach. McTurk presents a compelling argument that these works represent Irish traditions which influenced Chaucer’s writing. In this study, McTurk also argues that the thirteenth-century Icelandic Laxdæla Saga and Chaucer’s Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale each descend from an Irish version of the Loathly Lady story. Further, he surmises that Chaucer’s five-stress line may derive from the tradition of Irish song known as amhrán, which, there is reason to suppose, existed in Ireland well before Chaucer’s time.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Neutrality in Twentieth-Century Europe by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book (Un) Civil Society and Political Change in Indonesia by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Schizophrenia by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Science in Victorian Manchester by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book The Martyred Inquisitor: The Life and Cult of Peter of Verona (†1252) by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book International Corporate Finance (RLE International Business) by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Democratization Through the Looking-glass by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Emmeline Pankhurst by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book The Rwenzururu Movement in Uganda by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book The Poetics of Transubstantiation by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Teacher Education in Taiwan by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book The Philosophy of Play as Life by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book The Routledge Handbook of Environmental Economics in Asia by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Lightness, Brightness and Transparency by Rory McTurk
Cover of the book Geographies of Meat by Rory McTurk
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy