Chaucer’s [Anti-]Eroticisms and the Queer Middle Ages

by Tison Pugh

Using queer theory to untangle all types of nonnormative sexual identities, Tison Pugh uses Chaucer’s work to expose the ongoing tension in the Middle Ages between an erotic culture that glorified love as an ennobling passion and an anti-erotic religious and philosophical tradition that denigrated love and (perhaps especially) its enactments. Chaucer’s (Anti-)Eroticisms and the Queer Middle Ages considers the many ways in which anti-eroticisms complicate the conventional image of Chaucer. With chapters addressing such topics as mutual masochism, homosocial brotherhood, necrotic erotics, queer families, and the eroticisms of Chaucer’s God, Chaucer’s (Anti-)Eroticisms will forever change the way readers see the Canterbury Tales and Chaucer’s other masterpieces.
 
For Chaucer, erotic pursuits establish the thrust and tenor of many of his narratives, as they also expose the frustrations inherent in pursuing desires frowned upon by the religious foundations of Western medieval culture. One cannot love freely within an ideological framework that polices sexuality and privileges the anti-erotic Christian ideals of virginity and chastity, yet loving queerly creates escapes from social structures inimical to amour and its expressions in the medieval period. Thus Chaucer is not just England’s foundational love poet, he is also England’s foundational queer poet.

254 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2014

About the author

Tison Pugh is Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Central Florida. He is the author of Queering Medieval Genres and Sexuality and Its Queer Discontents in Middle English Literature and has published on children’s literature in such journals as Children’s Literature, The Lion and the Unicorn, and Marvels and Tales.

Reviews

[Katie Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaucer’s (Anti-)Eroticisms and the Queer Middle Ages is an intellectually bold and highly original study that reimagines Geoffrey Chaucer’s works through the lens of queer theory and medieval cultural history. Tison Pugh presents a compelling exploration of the complex relationship between erotic desire, religious doctrine, and nonnormative identities, revealing dimensions of Chaucer’s writing that challenge long established critical assumptions. Through sophisticated readings of The Canterbury Tales and other major works, the book illuminates themes of sexuality, desire, family, devotion, and social power with exceptional clarity and nuance. Its interdisciplinary approach successfully bridges medieval studies, literary criticism, gender studies, queer theory, and cultural history. Elegantly argued and meticulously researched, the volume expands the possibilities for interpreting medieval literature while making a lasting contribution to contemporary scholarship. It is highly recommended for scholars, educators, graduate students, and readers interested in Chaucer, medieval literature, queer studies, literary theory, and cultural history.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swings wildly between useful close reading and nigh-impenetrable High Theory.