NOTE: The "Austen" group will answer these questions. Also, feel free to read her Tale as well, though we won't discuss that until Friday.
Answer TWO of the
following...
Q1: The beginning of the
Wife of Bath’s Prologue is a defense of multiple marriages using her own
interpretation of the Scriptures. What is her basic argument, and why might
this have been shocking for its time—particularly considering the many Church
figures in the audience?
Q2: At one point, the
Pardoner interrupts, claiming he was thinking about marriage, but the Wife of
Bath claims, “You wait...you’ll taste another brew before I’m done;/You’ll find
it doesn’t taste as good as ale” (263). What are her views about marriage,
especially considering she’s done it five times? Is she trying to discourage
men and women from tying the knot, or does she simply have a less chivalric
view of wedded bliss? Discuss a moment
that seems to illustrate this.
Q3: Toward the end of the
Prologue, the Wife of Bath claims, “Lies, tears, and spinning are the things
God gives/By nature to a woman, while she lives” (269). She goes on to say that
“No one can be so bold—I mean no man--/At lies and swearing as a woman can”
(264). How do you respond to her characterization of women in this Prologue? Is
she a forward-thinking, bold-as-brass proto-feminist, or is she just another
male stereotype of a greedy, nagging wife?
What sways you one way or the other?
Q4: Somewhat related to Q3, what do you think the Narrator's (or Chaucer's) position is on the Wife of Bath? Is he satirizing her by letting her talk too much (like the Pardoner)? Or is he simply letting his creation run away with the story? In other words, is Chaucer in love with her or appalled by her? What clues might suggest one reading over the other?
No comments:
Post a Comment