DOI
https://doi.org/10.25772/1YY0-1Y28
Defense Date
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Dr. Sachi Shimomura
Second Advisor
Dr. Joshua Eckhardt
Third Advisor
Dr. John Brinegar
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Leigh Ann Craig
Abstract
This thesis examines three images associated with the manuscripts and early printed editions of Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde which I have dubbed “Prostrate Troilus,” “Pandarus as Messenger,” and “Criseyde in the Garden.” These images are artifacts of contemporary textual interpretation that “read” Chaucer’s text and the tale of Troilus. They each illustrate the way in which Troilus, Pandarus, and Criseyde “read” images, gestures, symbols, and speeches within the narrative, and they show how these characters are constrained and influenced by their individual primary modes of perception. Troilus reads but does not analyze. Pandarus actively reads his own meanings into messages. Criseyde’s reading is reflective. Ultimately, the different interpretive strategies that Chaucer explores in Troilus mirror those of Chaucer’s readers.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-8-2017