Reclaiming Reason: Chaucer’s Prose and the Path to Autonomy PDF
Preview Reclaiming Reason: Chaucer’s Prose and the Path to Autonomy
RECLAIMING REASON: CHAUCER’S PROSE AND THE PATH TO AUTONOMY by DAWN FLEURETTE COLLEY B.A., University of Texas at Arlington, l998 M.A., University of Texas at El Paso, 2003 A thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of English 2012 UMI Number: 3527278 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent on the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3527278 Copyright 2012 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 This thesis entitled: Reclaiming Reason: Chaucer’s Prose and the Path to Autonomy written by Dawn Fleurette Colley has been approved for the Department of English ________________________________ William Kuskin, PhD, Committee Chair ________________________________ Kirk Ambrose, PhD ________________________________ Tiffany Beechy, PhD ________________________________ Katie Little, PhD Date_______________ The final copy of this thesis has been examined by the signatories, and we Find that both the content and the form meet acceptable presentation standards Of scholarly work in the above mentioned discipline. Colley, Dawn Fleurette (Ph.D., Department of English) Reclaiming Reason: Chaucer’s Prose and the Path to Autonomy Thesis directed by Associate Professor William Kuskin “Reclaiming Reason” is the first full-length study of Geoffrey Chaucer’s prose. Though scholars have written on the prose texts individually, the most pressing questions have yet to be considered: what, specifically, does Chaucer offer in these works, and why does he choose prose to do so? In pursuit of answers to these questions, “Reclaiming Reason” examines the politics of reading and interpretation in the late Middle Ages and discovers that through his prose works— the Boece, the Treatise on the Astrolabe, the Tale of Melibee, the Parson’s Tale, and the Retraction—Chaucer models principles of interpretation for a time when access to knowledge was controlled by a variety of self-serving authorities. Indeed, these works offer readers strategies to assert their own agency, and thus intellectual autonomy, in the midst of the struggle over the power to control and ability to interpret knowledge. By offering these methods in prose, Chaucer increases the accessibility of these subjects, while demonstrating the extensive benefits of these different forms of knowing (philosophical, scientific, judicial, and religious). In the Parson’s Tale, for instance, he offers the religious practice of confession and repentance as a possible path to individual salvation; in writing for a lay audience, Chaucer implies that this information equally profits secular “selves.” Thus, “Reclaiming Reason” argues specifically that these prose works are essential to a comprehensive understanding of Chaucer’s philosophy: that in an inherently flawed and fragmented realm, individuals can exercise authority over their choices by consciously developing habits of critical engagement. Overall, it makes a case for the recursive reading of Chaucer’s work through the strategies of rational analysis that he provides in the prose. Not only does such recursion shed new light on our understanding of Chaucer’s iii poetry, but by extension, the performance of Chaucer’s methods—the act of recursion—creates a progressive dynamic between the individual and whatever machine (i.e. text, scientific device, authority) he engages with to gain knowledge. iv For my parents, who created a space “so stedfast and stable / That mannes word was obligacioun,” For Henry, who brought me boundless joy, And for my friend (and fellow nobody) Larry, who helped me find “the goode wey.” Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge my dissertation committee—Dr. William Kuskin, Dr. Beth Robertson, Dr. Larry Scanlon, Dr. Katie Little, Dr. Tiffany Beechy, and Dr. Kirk Ambrose—for their great generosity in participating in this project. Professor Robertson was influential both in helping me to refine my focus and in challenging me to continue to strive beyond my perspectival limitations. Professor Ambrose inspired my fascination with and appreciation for the relationship between words and images in medieval manuscripts, and that interest features in this work. Most especially, I would like to thank my advisor, William Kuskin. His unflagging support, encouragement, and enthusiasm made the development and execution of this work not only possible but also rewarding. I am also thankful for the funding I was awarded in the pursuit and advancement of my research. From the Center for British and Irish Studies, I twice received the Ogilvy Travel Fellowship to conduct archival research at libraries in the United Kingdom. The Center for Arts and Humanities awarded me the Lowe Dissertation Fellowship, which made finishing this project possible. I am grateful for each of these opportunities. I would like to express my appreciation those who helped me to understand the importance of Chaucer’s Astrolabe. Professor Erica Ellingson was generous to meet with me to discuss the physics of the Ptolemaic universe and the use of the astrolabe within that cosmic model. Professor Leland Giovanelli assisted me in understanding the history of the astrolabe and how it was constructed. My father, Larry Colley, helped me to grasp the mathematical equations. Finally, the completion of this project would not have been possible without the support of my cheering section: to my parents, my sister, Audrey, Jerry, Susan, Henry, and Gaius, I vi express my deepest gratitude. Beege Harding, dissertator-in-arms and running partner, provided critical feedback on early drafts of my chapters and support throughout. Lastly, I am most indebted to my mentor and friend, Larry Johnson, whose patient guidance and wise counsel led me to discover the profit of wise judgment. Our ongoing dialectic has been the source of great satisfaction and intellectual enrichment. May I have done our mutual enterprise some service through this “litel tretys.” vii Table of Contents Introduction 1 A Path to Reason Chapter One 20 Returning to the Path of Reason: the Value of Recursive Assessment in the Boece and Retraction Chapter Two 60 Learning to Know: Approaching the Universe through Chaucer’s Astrolabe Chapter Three 108 Chaucer’s Dialectic of Expectation: Thopas, Melibee, and the Benefits of Effective Listening Chapter Four 164 Choosing Destiny: Language, Habits, and the Power of Knowing in the Parson’s Tale Epilogue 222 A Student of Chaucer Bibliography 224 viii Figures Figure 2.1 MS e Museo 54, fol. 4r 70 2.2 MS e Museo 54, fol. 4v 76 2.3 MS Dd.3.53, fol. 11r 78 2.4 MS e Museo 54, fol. 12r 86 3.1 MS Ellesmere, fol. 152r 125 3.2 MS Hengwrt, fol. 214r 128 3.3 MS Hengwrt, fol. 214v 129 3.4 MS Ellesmere, fol. 153v 131 3.5 MS Hengwrt, fol. 216r 133 ix
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