Incongruities in the Tale of Thopas : the poet's motivation for the pilgrim's "Drasty rymyng" /

Abstract

Interpreting Chaucer's motivation in composing the Tale of Thopas, a parody of the Middle English romance, presents readers with many difficulties. A major difficulty is for readers to surpass the Host's estimation of the tale as "drasty ryrnyng" and to see the tale as an intentional parody of the Middle English romance, specifically the subcategory of adventure romance. After I clarify the characteristics of the adventure romance, readers will understand the reason for Hany Bailey's disappointment with Tale of Thopas. A close examination of the incongruities between the tale and other adventure romances suggests that Chaucer's motivation in producing this parody was not to criticize the adventure romances, since many of the incongruities draw attention away from the form or content of the romances and place the readers' gaze upon the Pilgrim who tells the tale. While there may be some criticism of the adventure romance implied in the parody, the incongruities between the tale and other adventure romances, between the tale and other Canterbury Tales, and between Chaucer the Pilgrim and Chaucer the Poet suggest that Chaucer's primary motivations are to cast the Pilgrim as an inept poet within the Canterbury Tales and to preserve his reputation as an accomplished poet outside the context of the Tales.