Abstract
The Wife of Bath's famous erudition, resistance to authority, and unapologetic sexuality all come together in one of Chaucer's epithets for her private parts. Bele chose (beautiful thing) occurs only three times: in Chaucer's prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale, in a Middle English translation of a Latin medical text, and-the present paper argues-in the Roman de la Rose. Chaucer uses the term as a deliberate repudiation of pudendum (shameful thing), a term that he does not use but which was undoubtedly known to him through several classical and medieval sources. A survey of all Chaucer's euphemisms for private parts in the Wife of Bath's Prologue contextualizes the discussion.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 336-349 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Chaucer Review |
| Volume | 53 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - Jan 1 2018 |
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Keywords
- Bele chose
- Genitalia
- Roman de la Rose
- Sexuality
- Trotu la
- Wife of Bath's Prologue
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Literature and Literary Theory
Cite this
The wife of Bath's bele chose. / Bjork, Robert.
In: Chaucer Review, Vol. 53, No. 3, 01.01.2018, p. 336-349.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The wife of Bath's bele chose
AU - Bjork, Robert
PY - 2018/1/1
Y1 - 2018/1/1
N2 - The Wife of Bath's famous erudition, resistance to authority, and unapologetic sexuality all come together in one of Chaucer's epithets for her private parts. Bele chose (beautiful thing) occurs only three times: in Chaucer's prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale, in a Middle English translation of a Latin medical text, and-the present paper argues-in the Roman de la Rose. Chaucer uses the term as a deliberate repudiation of pudendum (shameful thing), a term that he does not use but which was undoubtedly known to him through several classical and medieval sources. A survey of all Chaucer's euphemisms for private parts in the Wife of Bath's Prologue contextualizes the discussion.
AB - The Wife of Bath's famous erudition, resistance to authority, and unapologetic sexuality all come together in one of Chaucer's epithets for her private parts. Bele chose (beautiful thing) occurs only three times: in Chaucer's prologue to the Wife of Bath's Tale, in a Middle English translation of a Latin medical text, and-the present paper argues-in the Roman de la Rose. Chaucer uses the term as a deliberate repudiation of pudendum (shameful thing), a term that he does not use but which was undoubtedly known to him through several classical and medieval sources. A survey of all Chaucer's euphemisms for private parts in the Wife of Bath's Prologue contextualizes the discussion.
KW - Bele chose
KW - Genitalia
KW - Roman de la Rose
KW - Sexuality
KW - Trotu la
KW - Wife of Bath's Prologue
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85050186426&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Review article
VL - 53
SP - 336
EP - 349
JO - The Chaucer Review
JF - The Chaucer Review
SN - 0009-2002
IS - 3
ER -