While all women in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales share the characteristic of being far more independent and verbal than what was to be considered the norm in the Medieval Ages, The Wife of Bath is set far apart both her fellow pilgrims as well as the women of Chaucer’s time with her distinctly matriarchal and feminist view points. Evidence suggests Chaucer seems to have had an ulterior motive by creating such a character as to show an alternative view of women during a patriarchal time. In the case of Alison, the Wife of Bath, Chaucer did not create her as a mere form of entertainment, but a subtle, yet far reaching tool to help women be seen as something more than property. While Alison will be the primary focus of this paper, there will be references and evidence of such ideas also presented regarding the other women of Chaucer's Tales. However, it will be through the imagery, characterization, and dialog used with the Wife of Bath that Chaucer pushes the traditional ideas of what a woman should be during his time and provides an outlet through which to subtly plant the seeds of feminist understandings for his readers.
1. Writing in the 1300’s
During the 1300’s, the ability to write was considered an art form. Similarly, reading was something to be treasured by the upper class. It is generally understood that the lower classes likely knew of tales and stories from print sources. However, they would have been told these stories orally.
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Authors were more likely to be part of the upper classes for which they wrote. In turn, Chaucer was both influenced by the politics of the time while his status also afforded him the ability to be highly influential. Barbara Hanawalt, author of Chaucer's England: Literature in Historical Context explains that “Chaucer was most assuredly ‘of the royal household.’ He spent his formative years and much of his adult life in the service of kings, queens, and princes, and his development as a poet was shaped by the influences opening up to him through royal service in England and overseas” (Hanawalt 7).
When it is stated he was “part of the royal household,” this is through the position of chief clerk of the king’s works in Westminster by King Richard II on July 12, 1389 (Wheeler). This appointment is in addition to his early life serving as page in his adolescent years, and later fighting with Edward III in France, where he was captured. Edward III paid for his release and later began serving Edward III and his uncle, John of Gaunt at which point his writing career can begin to be tracked (History.com). Starting in 1372, Chaucer began his travels to Italy on missions of a diplomatic nature, possibly making the acquaintance of Dante, Petrarch, and most notably, Boccaccio. It was around this time which Chaucer was appointed Comptroller of Customs during his visit to Flanders and France. Because Chaucer was a very well traveled man, he was fortunate enough to see different cultures and social constructs, likely providing the spark to which began his writing of The Canterbury Tales in the late 1380s – early 1390s.
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2. Chaucer’s Unique Position
Chaucer was in a uniquely privileged position between two kings, affording him the opportunity to exercise discretion and political savvy in order to deposit his feminist ideals (at this point, it should be noted the term “feminist” in regards to Chaucer’s ideas are a purely modern term which Chaucer would not have knowledge of. However, Chaucer’s references and ideas presented in regards to women were so non-traditional and unheard of that there was no term for such ideas. For ease of understanding and simplicity, this modern term is being used for this paper.)Chaucer demonstrates himself as a true master at playing a game of delicate symbols. The question becomes: how can he ensure his work would be picked up and read by those who had the power to create change within the accepted societal norms of his day. The cover of his Tales has its own story to tell in this regard. Stephanie Trigg, author of Congenial Souls: Reading Chaucer from Medieval to Postmodern states.
3. Symbolism within the Artwork and its Effect
There remains to make one obvious point about this front cover illustration: as an image of an exclusively male company of pilgrims, it implies a male readership. For the Royal illuminator, characterization might be dispensable, but gender is not. It is a measure of Chaucer's reputation as a generalist, as a writer interested in women, if not, indeed, as an androgynous writer, that the absence of women does not stand in the way of this appealing representation of the Chaucerian community and the welcome it seems to extend to the prospective reader or buyer, of the book and the academic and cultural capital it signifies (Trigg xvii).
Chaucer understood that including women in his cover would have likely caused his target aristocratic audience shy away. By continuing the traditional all male representations, he ensured his work would be read and spoken. Thus, the cover of his Tales became a clever tool to ensure his ulterior motive would be carried out.
4. Alison: Chaucer’s Anterior Motive
Upon reading Chaucer’s Tales, many find themselves taken with the different characters, many of whom would have be seen as similar in stature and type to his target audience. However, the one character that stood out the most during the time, and has continued to stand out even into the modern day, is Alison, The Wife of Bath. Gillian Rudd, author of Complete Critical Guide to Geoffrey Chaucer explains that Chaucer used sources of the time that portrayed “only wicked wives” and used those “stereotypes and makes them the basis of personal strength. In so doing she acknowledges the power of stories to mould our expectations and of the importance of taking the teller into
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