Die Ballade 'The Marriage of Sir Gawain' in ihren Beziehungen zu Chaucers 'Wife of Bath's Tale' und Gowers Erzählung von Florent.

Author/Editor
Görbing, F

Title
Die Ballade 'The Marriage of Sir Gawain' in ihren Beziehungen zu Chaucers 'Wife of Bath's Tale' und Gowers Erzählung von Florent.

Published
Görbing, F. "Die Ballade 'The Marriage of Sir Gawain' in ihren Beziehungen zu Chaucers 'Wife of Bath's Tale' und Gowers Erzählung von Florent." Anglia 23 (1900), pp. 405-423.

Review
As his title implies, Görbing provides a comparison between the ballad "The Marriage of Sir Gawain," Gower's Tale of Florent and Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale. Much of the article is taken up with an analysis of differences in plot development and characterization (particularly in terms of motivation for behaviour). The key difference among the three pieces lies the interpretation of the material (411). Thus, Gower at times obscures moments of comedy in his attempt to instill a moral, whereas Chaucer skillfully brings out the comedic potential of the story. In this, Chaucer is closer to the spirit of the folk tradition - if not always the details of the plot - and to the depictions of love in the "französischen Pastorelle" (413). The article ends with a brief consideration of the origins of the proverb "a woman will have her will" found with some variation in all three works (421-23). [CvD]

Date
1900

Gower Subjects
Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations
Confessio Amantis