George Lyman Kittredge, Chaucer along with his Poetry (Cambridge: Harvard College or university Force, 1924), p
six. Beidler’s large claim is the fact this prologue does not fall-in which have the fresh tale, ergo his post general is at potential with my point right here.
When Kittredge basic penned regarding dilemma of relationships about Canterbury Stories the guy known a beneficial ‘a’, as such easy phrases accompanying the latest Tales into the official words having both the book and you will Dante’s Divine Comedy.dos When he afterwards expanded on these viewpoints in the well-known lectures for the Chaucer, the latest ‘Marriage Group’, as he today always named it, try displayed as if it was in fact fully corroborated because of the fragments of your Stories whenever placed in what we today constantly phone call Ellesmere acquisition: within membership, the appearance of the latest Wife away from Bath’s Prologue and you will Story within the start of fragment III ‘starts the debate’ together with reports one to pursue inside the fragments IV and you will V is ‘occasioned’ of the the lady commentary.step 3 Such as for instance suspicious textual guesses, coupled with Kittredge’s old-fashioned confidence one to relationship is not usefully chatted about because of the ‘theorists’,4 may appear to carry Kittredge’s whole dialogue towards the disrepute, but his concerns together with precisely expected the latest solid experience when you look at the any number of essential previous degree you to issues regarding sex and you may sex try main towards Tales general.5 The thought of a beneficial ‘Wedding