Elements of Film Noir in the 1941 Classic, “The Maltese Falcon”
As Raymond Borde and Etienne Chaumeton point out in “Towards a Definition of Film Noir”, prior to World War II convention dictated a beautiful heroine and an honest hero; we expected a clear line between good and bad, as well as clear motives, and the action should develop logically. But the 1941 film adaptation of [...]
The Jewish Problem in Chaucer’s “The Prioress’ Tale”
The legendary English child martyr, Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln, died August 27, 1255. The 9-year-old boy had been found dead in a well, the victim of an anonymous murder. A story soon followed that a Jew named Koppin had imprisoned and tortured the boy for more than a month, eventually crucifying him. The body [...]
Satire in "The Prioress’ Tale" by Geoffrey Chaucer
In a modern tent-revival meeting, someone might stand before the crowd and tell a story. She might be a slim, well-dressed woman whose words deeply stir the congregation’s emotions. The hero of her story might be pure as the driven snow, and elicit the smiles and applause of the audience; her villains might be the [...]
A Blogger in the Fifteenth Century: The Book of Margery Kempe
If Margery Kempe had lived 600 years later, she might have been a blogger. The Book of Margery Kempe is an account of her later life, much like a diary, without any obvious connecting theme or storyline. Much like a modern blogger might be technically challenged and enlist the help of a son or daughter, [...]
Personification in the Medieval Morality Play "Everyman"
According to Ingmar Bergman in his film The Seventh Seal you may be able to cheat death. However if you believe the Fifteenth Century morality play Everyman, Death can’t be bribed. When the same play’s main character was summoned to his final journey he tried the bribery route without success, but Death was amiable enough [...]
P.T. Barnum Had Nothing on Chaucer’s "Wife of Bath" and "Pardoner"
P.T. Barnum may not really have said, “There’s a sucker born every minute” but nevertheless it seems to have become the creed of snake charmers and of snake oil salesmen through the ages. But prior to Barnum, Geoffrey Chaucer gave us both a snake oil salesman and a snake charmer in the Pardoner and in [...]
Camelot: A Land Both Far Away and Contemporary
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there was a practically perfect kingdom where knights were noble and ladies were fair. The tales of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table touch on civilization’s oldest quests for beauty, law, and order. These are the things of our fantasies and fairy [...]
The Law, Death, and Grace in Medieval Poetry: "Sir Gawain and the Green Night"
It’s not easy being green; if you happen to be a knight, being green may cost your head. Being a green knight carries a big responsibility; some may even say that in your green garments you’re representing no less than Christ himself. The Green Knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knightbrings a challenge to [...]
The Romance and the Fabliau in Geoffrey Chaucer’s "The Canterbury Tales"
Geoffrey Chaucer followed his idealistic romance The Knight’s Talewith the bawdy fabliau The Miller’s Tale, providing powerful contrast within the context of his The Canturbury Tales. True to their individual genres, The Knight’s Tale paints nobles in a flattering light and The Miller’s Taleshows peasants acting like foolish simpletons. But neither view seems to reflect [...]
Geoffrey Chaucer: Dr. Seuss and Looney Tunes in the 14th Century
Reading Chaucer for the first time could be compared to reading Dr. Suess; everything rhymes and many of the words sound made up. At first hearing, the sing-song iambic lines race by like Sam-I-Am’s famous green-egg treatice. But soon we find outselves pondering the literary merits of farting and adultry, and we begin to wonder [...]
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