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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture If you are talking specifically about the "Parson's Tale" you will need more than the "Riverside" Chaucer. The Parson's Tale has been the least studied and most frequently brushed aside of Chaucer's tales. It is often brushed aside as a sermon on the seven deadly sins. It deserves more attention than this. It is in reality a sermon about repentance. According to the famous 19th century scholar W. W. Skeat it is little else than an adaptation of a French treatise by Frere Lorens, entitled La Somme des Vices et de Vertus, written in 1279. I don't think a modern version of this work was ever printed, but it was translated into English some time before Chaucer. But what do we know about Frere Lorens? I'm sorry; I know nothing--here is research which needs to be done. Skeat also states that it is clear that the sermon once stood apart as a separate work. There are a whole host of other unanswered questions as well. The position of the sermon within the whole work is best described as penultimate. Chaucer's "Retraction," should be seen as the ultimate, the final chaper. We know that Chaucer was influenced by the ROMANCE OF THE ROSE. Look at the sermon by the character "Genius" in the ROMANCE OF THE ROSE and also the sermon by the character "Genius" in Alan of Lille's PLAINT OF NATURE which influenced the ROMANCE OF THE ROSE. Both have the penultimate position as does the Parson's Tale. Did these influence the placement of the "Parson's Tale."? Perhaps. Also the Lollard/Wycliffe question must be considered in the light of this sermon and vice versa. Periodically someone will want to demonstrate that Chaucer was associated with the Lollard or Wycliffe movement or both. His protector, John of Gaunt, has been seen as a Lollard sympathizer. There is also a hint in the narative where one of the other travelers suggests that the parson sounds like a Lollard. Was one of the sources of the sermon, Wycliffe or Lollard doctrine? Perhaps. Is there a difference between Wycliffe and the Lollards? I'm not sure. John Gower must also be mentioned. Chaucer and he knew each other. Did Gower influence Chaucer? Check out the Confessio Amantis. What do you think? There is fertile ground here for study. If you can answer any of my questions I would be grateful. V. K. Inman University of Pennsylvania Quoting Cursor Mundi <[log in to unmask]>: > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > > > > Greetings > > I am interested if any texts have been identified as having influenced > Chaucer in the writing of 'The Parson's Tale'. The work seems to be > distinctly separate from the rest of 'the Canterbury Tales'. It reminds me > more of 'Pricke of Conscience' or 'Cursor Mundi' . Ideas welcome. > > Thank you. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------- > Yahoo! Messenger - Communicate instantly..."Ping" your friends today! > Download Messenger Now > > ********************************************************************** > To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME > to: [log in to unmask] > To send a message to the list, address it to: > [log in to unmask] > To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion > to: [log in to unmask] > In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: > [log in to unmask] > For further information, visit our web site: > http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html