(Concerning the wedding) ‘there is something a little salacious in the pace and selectivity of his narrative detail’
Tina Davidson
1 of 15
'The imagery seems degrading at first sight; most modern women would not be flattered to be compared to meat or bread’
Katy Lee
2 of 15
‘She is simply another piece of livestock, bought to fulfil a specific sexual and procreative purpose and expected to behave as instructed’
Sam Brunner
3 of 15
‘Both the Merchant and Januarie consider their wives as products purchased for a price and become bitter when they realise the product is flawed.’
Sam Brunner
4 of 15
'The feisty and opportunist May who slips under the radar of an ancient libertine, to find her fulfilment elsewhere’
Tina Davidson
5 of 15
‘Chaucer presents us with young women who trick men by turning their tastiness to their own advantage’
Katy Lee
6 of 15
‘Chaucer finishes his introduction by drawing our attention to the nameless status of his character, ‘I noot how men him calle,’ underscoring the devious and secretive first impression of this pilgrim and firmly establishing him as an unreliable na
Sam Brunner
7 of 15
‘May is silent and passive, and will remain so until beyond her wedding night. A contextualised reading would see this as reflecting her role in society at this time; she is the blushing, subservient bride. ‘
Tina Davidson
8 of 15
‘The bestial imagery used by January becomes a trope throughout the tale, underlining the lusty appetite which drives his actions and suggesting the true carnal nature which he hides beneath a veneer of social respectability’
Sam Brunner
9 of 15
‘Thus May, and the interpretation of wifedom which she brings, will be judged against the ideal of Griselda, as well as the frightening depictions of married women elsewhere.’
Tina Davidson
10 of 15
‘A feminist reading may draw attention to the patriarchal values of the narrator, for the Merchant, like Januarie, objectifies May, and portrays her only in terms of her appearance.’
Tina Davidson
11 of 15
‘In January's eyes, women exist purely for men's satisfaction’
Katy Lee
12 of 15
‘A Marxist reading may highlight her inferior social status and see this as the Merchant's own preoccupation with rank.’
Tina Davidson
13 of 15
‘Women in this world are portrayed as products of their society’
Sam Brunner
14 of 15
‘The choice of diction suggests the brutal and loveless nature of Januarie's imagined sex.’
Tina Davidson
15 of 15
Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Katy Lee
Back
'The imagery seems degrading at first sight; most modern women would not be flattered to be compared to meat or bread’
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