While Geoffrey Chaucer never singlehandedly invaded Cambridge, as the title of this post might suggest, our class today was taken over by discussion of Chaucer, his greatest work, and one specific tale, as we prepared for our visit to Oxford tomorrow. To stop being mysterious, Chaucer’s greatest work is undoubtedly The Canterbury Tales, written at the end of the fourteenth century, and “The Miller’s Tale” takes place in Oxenforde (Oxford). However, The Canterbury Tales are not only Chaucer’s crowning achievement, but also one of the classic works of medieval literature, especially because of Chaucer’s unusual language. Instead of writing in French, which was still the language of the court, or in Latin, which had long been the official language of government, Chaucer wrote in English at a time when English had only become the language of the country in 1362. By writing in English, Chaucer made a distinct statement as to the worth of the vernacular; after years of Latin and French domination, English literature would truly be English, in every sense of the word.
Before I delve further into “The Miller’s Tale,” one important question must be answered: who was Geoffrey Chaucer, exactly? Chaucer was likely born around 1343, the son of a London vintner; although not much is known of his early life, Chaucer was obviously well-educated, as he embarked upon a career in the civil service, beginning a long relationship with the royal family. Working as a courtier and a diplomat, Chaucer made a name for himself before even beginning his literary career. At the same time, his ties to royalty deepened. In the 1360s, Chaucer married Philippa de Roët, sister of Katherine Swynford, later mistress and wife of John of Gaunt, one of the most powerful men of the fourteenth century. Additionally, Chaucer’s own descendants achieved the social mobility that was just beginning to emerge after the Black Death and that factors into some of his tales. Chaucer’s granddaughter, Alice Chaucer, married into the aristocratic de la Pole family, becoming Duchess of Suffolk; her grandson would at one point be named heir to Richard III.
Moving on from Chaucer and his connections to his tales themselves, one soon discovers after reading The Canterbury Tales that Chaucer’s work is much more nuanced and filled with meaning that is immediately apparent. In the case of “The Miller’s Tale,” which is filled with comedy, one tends to focus on the situational, slapstick humor and miss the deeper meaning within; indeed, much of Chaucer’s nuances passed me by the first time I read the tale. To begin with, all of the characters’ names are significant, from Absolon the parish clerk, whose name is a reference to a Biblical Absolon who came to great grief, to Nicholas the student, whose name refers to St. Nicholas the gift-giver. John the carpenter is also an important symbolic figure, for he is the old lover who will be cuckolded, a figure present in much classical literature. All of these names are significant because they foreshadow what will happen in the tale: Absolon will be humiliated, Nicholas will bring the gift of physical love to Alison (John’s wife), and John will be cuckolded.
Furthermore, “The Miller’s Tale” also deals with class issues, which were sweeping England in the years after the Black Death, as the mass death destroyed the feudal system, creating movement and upheaval within the peasant class. Within this tale, there is conflict between John, a carpenter and thus a member of the working class, and Nicholas, who as a student would likely be of a higher class; indeed, one question that is never answered is why Nicholas lodges with someone beneath him in the first place. Difference of class does not solely create the conflict though, which truly comes about when Nicholas and John’s wife, Alison, have an affair. This affair is significant because Chaucer mentions that Alison was an attractive young woman, suitable for a tradesman (like John) to marry, but also suitable for a lord to take as his mistress. The tale proves this observation right, as Alison essentially becomes Nicholas’s mistress.
However, this is not to say that Chaucer believes a woman’s role is to be subordinate to some man, whether he be her husband or her lover. While John keeps Alison in a metaphorical cage, Chaucer turns this more into a judgment of John, for marrying a much-younger woman, than a reflection that all women are bound to stray at some point. Indeed, at the end of the tale, Alison is the only one without a moral judgment upon her, as Absolon is punished for his lust, Nicholas for his lack of foresight, and John for his jealousy and mistrust. Throughout all of this punishment, Alison emerges unscathed; Chaucer seems to take her affair with Nicholas not as a sign of the licentiousness of women, but as a release of energy, bottled up by her husband’s treatment of her. Moreover, “The Miller’s Tale” is not the only tale to feature a strong woman, as the Wife of Bath is also strong in personality and independent, as she is a weaver and merchant in her own right (not managing her husband’s business). Coincidentally-or not- the Wife of Bath’s name is also Alison; while this may have been the result of the fact that Alison was a rather common name in England at the time, it may also be a direct linkage of one strong woman with another. All in all, Chaucer has quite a progressive view of women and their role in society throughout his tales.
In the afternoon, after class, most of the group took the bus out to the small village of Grantchester, just a few miles outside of Cambridge. There, amidst houses with thatched roofs and an old Gothic church, is The Orchard, another true British experience. The Orchard serves breakfast, lunch, and afternoon tea, which we partook of; however, it is no ordinary restaurant, for you choose your food inside, then eat outside among the fruit trees. I had English breakfast tea and a fruit scone with clotted cream and raspberry jam. It was all delicious, especially the scone and the cream, which is like butter, but much, much better. I was surprised by how much I liked the tea, as it was one of the first times I had had tea that was not iced; however, it was rather hot that day, so iced tea would have been nice! After we finished our tea, we moved into the shade and read for the next several hours, before taking the bus back to Cambridge. Just sitting there, under a tree, reading was one of the most pleasant afternoons – certainly the most relaxing – that I’ve spent here in Cambridge.
Off to Oxford tomorrow-I can’t wait!
Making the Past Present 