Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index

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Record Number: 14681 Author(s)/Creator(s): Cowgill , Jane. Contributor(s): Title: Chaucer's Missing Children ["In the lyrics, the drama, and in Chaucer's religious tales, then, the sufferings of mothers and children are made analogous to those of Mary and Christ. Children are appropriate, even essential, to this genre because, in their relationships to their mothers, they embody one of the central mysteries of the faith. Conversely, the relationships between fathers and suffering children, while presented as significant in the tales of tragedy and morality, hint at but cannot carry the same spiritual valence. Further, to recapitulate my introductory remarks, children are largely absent from the romances and fabliaux because they would be a hindrance to the internal necessities of those forms. Children are depicted in 'The Canterbury Tales' not according to any principles of realism, but according to their appropriateness to particular literary genres." p. 5 of the electronic version available through Project Muse]. Source: Essays in Medieval Studies 12, ( 1995): Pages 1 - 5. and 1-2 (notes) [in the electronic version available through Project Muse]. Issue title: Children and the Family in the Middle Ages. Description: Article Type: Journal Article Subject (See Also): Chaucer, Geoffrey, Poet - Canterbury Tales Children in Literature Fathers in Literature Literature- Verse Mary, Virgin, Saint in Literature Mothers in Literature Pain and Suffering in Literature Award Note: Geographic Area: British Isles Century: 14 Primary Evidence: Illustrations: Table: Abstract: Related Resources: Author's Affiliation: Conference Info: - , - Year of Publication: 1995. Language: English ISSN/ISBN: 10432213

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