Free: An ely age of ba? “This book srs with itertare ofthe cwelth century and ends ith James Joyce in she gwen eis easable, however, how many schoe f te fole and pecepion of lithe thi book acer i and throogh ht long petid cin ako be dicemed inthe Iter eleventncenuy, cy [Norman English Bayeox Tapemy. Brie senes Gam perhaps indecent les fever io be tld of cern cle’ ands Iai ye fo stance oF of the couple here, counterpoint the Tapes’ predominandy noble images ‘of knightly acon, henldc and fibloor beste andthe like. Whe for ¢ Se thee may set to expe, comically though vigooudy, what Les Cndemench the ables tapping sadr theme may be reveled ithe final fower border ofthe Tape. where the eater erode modes ~ all found in che bowen ~ ace reid by ignominy apped and ‘Synembesed bodies of'en who have Gln nthe Base of Hangs {Serton 1314 Bows the Bayeux Tapety,rprodaced by kind permision (of Formas Index) John Hines THE FABLIAU IN ENGLISH LONGMAN106 The Fabliay in English 1 2 variant rather dhan an altematve ondering of the Fagments. I takes a valbd connection ina collection the ander of which alos, tentinly varied during the proces of compotion and which wa never completed, The ceader may “Tur over the leef and hese nother tle” (E317) consractvely a well as evasive. Chapter 4 The Miller’s and Reeve’s Tales and their fictional context Chr aes “While variation in the ondering of ales i not merely posible but fan be 2 cridaly warding way of reading the fagments ia and found the middle of the Sequence of the Canterbury Tales, the fagments at the beginning and end (Eapments [ and X, and, sgencally, II and TX) ate solidly fixed in place, challenging the fender €2 interpret hem ae and where they stand. Fragment T "These tes call out for aseament as a [p, and criucs fave responded appropriately. Extant interpretations Of ths diptyeh, however, vary radially, and cho cae thar will be argued here appears to be the Tease orthodox view, leas 9 judge bythe publied eskcien ofthe last tity years or 30. Many would concur with the cite mor recently and mort sabstintaly argued by V. A. Kole, that the Miler’s and Reeve's “ales conte with one another in thete cen and toes. Several read both tsles3t moral dramar in which human so i revealed, judged and punished. Disinet the minority view is that whieh ‘lows laughter at boch tles to be fee of mora implica and which thas allows the tales genvinely to be fan ~108 which would not, of coun, ‘exercises aimed at givin The Fabliov in English imply that dhe wo tales are vacuous esare sone ‘explicit sated that the Miller demands to el his tale ut of pe to the Reeve. He in Gct pues himself forward "to quite the Knyghtes tle” aftr the Host has atked the Monk to do that very ‘hing ins stv and sz), But the synopis that he offers of his ae a keene anh Bathe of capes a ts wy How chat ec ath the wightes cpp: oe np: 3 ain es is unmisakably chat of a filo, and with the target figure appeating 2s regular clement within the Sibi its ndersandable tht the Rese, a cet, soul! ance an tack pon “Soe thy cpp! Late thy led dro tote [ries ynne and xk pect age ‘To apeyen any mano hyn deme ‘th dope bol your nie: ea Fablianx ae thoroughly suablerexual weapons forthe wo chu, the Miller and the Reeve, to beat each other over the head with, ‘There are, moreover, resins for expecting an arack upon the Reeve, which im mim would mean that # is not solely his lunsuecessfal presemprive sake that exablshes 2 sate of enmity bberween these two characters. In the General Prologue postat of| the Reeve ~ 2 portayal which leans heavily on cotiventional atts of hostility towards the lords’ men, the pessnt officials amongst the peasants, in medioval English etre ~ the Reeve is presented asa man Who provokes rsppcion and fst 1. On he Gaz view we, tide Kale, Man Sigel a forthe eon sc ny vay, Rabon 4 Pee Chappe PA Oho ad oy ion Copond mo. The td iw i ef by Cleting On or ie eT Mr Tey of Lire Reeict ns Us a The Mill's and Reove's Toles ond thei ficionol contest 108 “They were aad f hy of he deck (os) and as 4 man who, by being ienifable as one of a eype rather tha an individual, aeracs he prejudices associated with tha ype ‘Much of the critcal ancipthy towards she Reeve derives from the ingestion of such peice as opposed co detached examination of “The proposition that the bli is an appropsite mode for an argument benween to chutle is expliciy Chaucer’. The only fem he uses tn characterize the content of these tales in advance Shacotrye", and this appears afer he hat not once but twice emphasized the purported soca origin ofthese tales. The Miller, he tole is ches tle inhi mane ov and imavedately before the tle commences he repeats the point “The Miler ic chek ye hnowe wel hit Sowa te Reve cok ad otere mo, Dd fae theytnden bode swe 7 ou) However doubifil we should be about atempts wo associate the emergence of the medieval Eblisu with any paula social cas, it fs significant thae “Chaucer wither to repeeseat the ‘fila in precsly such terms, The point is well made by Kalve, that what the Miler says docs not, redial, sound very much like an ineriated medieval chur. This is even ese, cone Kelve, of what he says for mow of his prologue, Bor what he has eo sayin his tale may represent what we might like to believe mach = characte’ ‘bald stonades towards women, towards bis fellow men, and towards conventional moriity would predictably be. A good par fof the wit of thee owo Glaus isin the incongriows mature of the urbane and sophisticated amusement they have to offer withthe rotonlly ride and crade character of the chur’ minds The Sevios side ofthis entertaining situation les in Chaucer's crediting ‘hese tv chs with intellects fr higher than those of brote bea