Knoetze, Retha. “Social Flux in the Knight’s Tale: Chaucer’s Fourteenth-Century Reworking of a Romance.” English Academy Review, vol. 34, no. 1, 2017, pp. 85-98.
Knoetze argues that while Chaucer bases the Knight’s Tale firmly in the romance genre, he intentionally adjusts certain traditional genre conventions in order to draw attention to fourteenth-century England’s changing social landscape. Throughout her article, Knoetze draws on genre theory to contrast typical romance pieces with Chaucer’s adjustments to the story of Palamon and Arcite. Notably, she points out that Chaucer makes deliberate changes to Boccaccio’s Teseida to create heightened tension between the feudalist chivalric code and more romantic, individualist attitudes. According to Knoetze, Theseus represents the chivalric code with its communal interests of security, order, and progress, yet he also demonstrates an ability to adapt to adverse circumstances when things don’t go according to his commands. Palamon and Arcite, on the other hand, represent individual, romantic desires. They are atypical romance heroes who represent fallen humanity—a far cry from traditional romance heroes who overcome adversity, triumph over evil, and are celebrated by adoring crowds. Ultimately, Knoetze reveals a Chaucer who shows us that, while his country and people still needed the nobility to help provide order and progress, social norms were trending towards attitudes of greater self-determination and self-interest.
https://mnpals-msumk.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01MNPALS_MSUMK/tvalnd/cdi_chadwyckhealey_abell_R05644030
--Amanda Fetters
