English Literature's Father of Authorial Androgyny: The Innovative Perspective of Chaucer and the Wife of Bath
This thesis seeks to examine Geoffrey Chaucer as English literature’s father of authorial androgyny, specifically through an analysis of his Wife of Bath character. Through a close reading of the “General Prologue” descriptions of the Pardoner and the Wife of Bath as well as an analysis of the “Wife of Bath’s Prologue” and the “Wife of Bath’s Tale,” I will argue that the Wife of Bath is a psychologically androgynous character. Moreover, I will assert that Chaucer, through his creation and deployment of the Wife of Bath, exhibits authorial androgyny. To support these observations and claims, I consider historical context, psychological studies, feminist criticisms, and Chaucer’s biography. The motif of psychological androgyny and the incipient concept of authorial androgyny are woven throughout this thesis.
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