Choice Review

Original in scope and provocative in its findings, this informed and accessible study considers the oft-maligned Legend in relation to both late 14th century cultural contexts and Chaucer's own aesthetic and literary development. Delany (Simon Fraser Univ.) rejects long-held beliefs that the Legend is inferior to Chaucer's other works, asserting that such opinion suggests an "erudite philistinism." She instead argues that it is important as a transitional work in the development of the Chaucerian narrator, as an ideological manifestation of orthodox Augustinianism, and as a self-reflexive expression of verbal production and interpretation. The five chapters explore in detail such topics as reading, writing, and intertextuality; relationships between gender, language, and culture; epistemology and its metaphors; expressions of difference; and ambivalence in representation. The chapters are framed by an introduction that assesses the Legend's critical reception and a conclusion that considers questions of readership. Indispensable for Chaucerians, this is an important study for all teachers and students of Chaucer and medieval culture. Recommended for all academic libraries. C. S. Cox; University of Pittsburgh--Johnstown