Wisdom and Chivalry

Chaucer's Knight's Tale and Medieval Political Theory
Erscheinungsjahr 2009
ISBN: 978-90-04-17624-9
Verlag: Brill

Buch, Englisch, Band 4, 332 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 664 g

Reihe: Medieval and Renaissance Authors and Texts

The Knight's Tale is one of the most controversial of all the Canterbury Tales. Does Chaucer portray Theseus, the duke of Athens whose actions dominate the tale, as an ideal ruler, one who is noble, wise and chivalrous, or does the duke's behaviour reveal him to be immoral, self-seeking and tyrannical? This book (now in a corrected second printing) assesses the duke's conduct and thought in terms of the ideals set out in medieval mirrors for princes, particularly in Giles of Rome's De Regimine Principum. It argues that, when judged by the standards of these works, Theseus can be seen as a model prince in terms of his self-government ('ethics'), his rule of his household ('economics'), his governance of his realm ('politics) and his cosmography and philosophy.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rigby, Stephen

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
Abbreviations in the Text and Notes
Introduction the ‘Knight’s Tale’ in Context

Part 1 Ethics: The Good Rule of the Self
1. The ‘Knight’s Tale’ as Ethics: the Aristotelian Virtues
2. The ‘Knight’s Tale’ as Ethics: the Passions and the Ages of Man

Part II Economics and Politics the Good Rule of Others
3. The ‘Knight’s Tale’ as Economics: The Good Rule of the Household
4. The ‘Knight’s Tale’ as Politics: The Good Rule of the Community

Part III The First Mover and the Good Rule of the Cosmos
5. The ‘Knight’s Tale’ as Cosmography: The Good Rule of the Universe

Conclusion Chaucer: Literature, History and Ideology
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Stephen H. Rigby, Ph.D. (1983) in History, University of London, is Emeritus Professor of Medieval Social and Economic History. He has published extensively on medieval history and literature and on social theory including English Society in the Later Middle Ages and Chaucer in Context.