Geoffrey Chaucer, Manciple's Tale

Anita Obermeier (University of New Mexico)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1388 - c. 1399

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Story

Resources

Following the Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale (CYT), Chaucer’s Manciple’s Tale (MancT) constitutes Fragment IX and the penultimate story in the Canterbury Tales, preceding the didactic sermon of the Parson’s Tale. The dating of the tale is contested, as those critics who think it a poor tale consider it a product of Chaucer’s early years. For critics who see the tale as a more accomplished work or a parody of John Gower’s version of the story in the Confessio Amantis, it suggests a date post-1390; Baker argues for a date between 1388 and 1399 (11-13). Opening with a sordid interchange between the Manciple and the Cook in the Prologue, it is presumably a short retelling …

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2555 words

Citation: Obermeier, Anita. "Manciple's Tale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 December 2011 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=34224, accessed 25 November 2024.]

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