The Chaucerian Apocrypha

This edition samples from Chaucerian apocrypha, works wrongly attributed to, inspired by, or associated with Geoffery Chaucer, the father of English poetry. These fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Middle English texts reflect the extent of Chaucers brand name appeal. The sixteen poems, united by courtly themes, are organized by Kathleen Forni into four sections. The Court of Love, an allegorical dream-vision, follows Philogenet who sues for the favor of Rosiall. Literature of Courtly Love includes John Lydgates Valentine poem Floure of Curtesye and The Lovers Mass, a satire that eroticizes Latin liturgy. The Antifeminist Tradition explores a misogynistic strain in Chaucerian poetry, including parodic catalogs of a womans faults rather than her charms. Good Counsel, Wisdom, and Advice depicts a preoccupation with traditional ethics and political guidance; a highlight is Scogans Moral Balade, which expands on Boethian ideas from Chaucers Gentillesse that nobility stems from ones character, not birth. Forni brings to light a literary corpus which has long suffered critical neglect.