A Concise Companion to Chaucer

This Concise Companion provides a succinct introduction to Chaucer’s major works, the contexts in which he wrote, and to medieval thought more generally.

The bookopens with a general introductory section, discussing London life and politics, books and authority, manuscripts and readers. Subsequent sections focus on the dream visions, Troilus and Criseyde and the Canterbury Tales respectively, and illuminate key religious, political and intellectual contexts. These sections treating Chaucer’s major works also cover significant general topics, including medieval literary genres; dream theory; the Church; love, marriage and the family; gender and sexuality; Chaucer’s literary inheritance and influence; and reading Chaucer aloud. Contributors combine contemporary historical and cultural scholarship with recent critical emphases.

A Concise Companion to Chaucer is designed so that students can read the appropriate contextual essays alongside each of Chaucer’s major works. Although the focus is on context, the essays also engage directly with Chaucer’s texts.