Chaucer’s England: Literature in Historical Context

Chaucer’s England presents new interpretations of late fourteenth-century English society through a unique combination of historical inquiry and literary analysis. Beginning with the turbulent reign of Richard I and Bolingbroke’s coup, the contributors look at organized crime, illiteracy, patronage, the influence Richard might have had personally over the remarkable literary production of the period, the concepts of gentility that shaped Chaucer’s own thinking, the pervasive influence of hunting on medieval literature, the role London played as the center of both the court and the literary world , and more.
Contributors to the volume include:Caroline Barron, Royal Holloway and Bedford CollegeMichael Bennett, University of TasmaniaLawrence Clopper, Indiana UniversitySusan Crane, Rutgers UniversityRichard Firth Green, University of Western OntarioBarbara Hanawalt, University of MinnesotaNicholas Orme, University of ExeterNigel Saul, Royal Holloway and Bedford CollegePaul Strohm, Indiana UniversityDavid Wallace, University of Minnesota