Franklin's Tale and Links.doc

Franklin’sTaleandLinksPrologueNotverymuchhereexceptafewjuicydetailsofcharacterization;theFranklindoesseemtobefawningovertheSquireandthentellsataleofanidealizedsetoffolksincludingsquire,knight,clerk,andawife,butnopeasants,:(FromDeborahSchwartz)“TheFranklin'sTaleisanexampleofaBretonlai(seePrologue,FT37-43),ashortnarrativegenrewithromance-likecharacteristicsofwhichthebestknownaretheLaisofMariedeFrance(seetwoexamples,LanvalandChevrefoil). Thesevernacularpoemsweredecidedlysecular,frequentlycontainedsupernaturalorfairy-taleelements,andmostoftenwereconcernedwithmale/femaleloverelationships.”Source:ioagain,thistimefromIlFilocolo(“Lovewounded”),io’sItalianproseversionofaverypopularverseromance,FlorisandBlanchefleur,ataleofstar-crossedloversandstar-crossedreligions,,:’smarriage,expositionoftheoryandevent(213-215).’departure(215).’attempttowoo;D’srashpromise(217)andhispaganprayers(219-220)(215-220).’returnandtwoyearsofbliss(221).’brother,triptoOrleansandmagicshow;returntoBrittanyinDecemberandtheremovaloftherocks(221-226).’demandandDorigen’“trouthe”andgentility(229).Themes:,marriage,–??OntheMarriageArgument:(fromLarryBenson)TheFranklin'sTalehaslongbeenregardedastheculminationof"TheMarriageGroup,"thediscussionofmarriagethatextendsatleastfromtheWifeofBath'sProloguetothetheFranklin'sTale,whichhastraditionallybeentakenasinsomesenseresolvingthe"marriagequestion"proposedbytheWifeofBath--whoshouldruleinamarriage?eLymanKittredgeaspartofhisinterpretationofTheCanterburyTalesasadramaticallyrealized"edy."Kittredge'sarticleon"Chaucer'sDiscussionofMarriage"isoneof,ifnotthemost,