Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-174) and index.
Table of Contents; Preface vii; Prologue: Marriage Contracts through the Centuries 1; Part I. Chaucer; 1. Rewriting the Marriage Contract: Adultery in the Canterbury Tales 15; 2. Marriage Ceremonies and Property in the Canterbury Tales 28; 3. Extramarital Contracts in the Canterbury Tales 47; 4. The Legacy of the Marriage Contract: Chaucer's Widows 70; Entr'acte: When the Law Changed 93; Part II. Religious and Renaissance Drama; 5. Under Stress: The Marriage Contracts of the Mystery Cycles, and the Trailing Spouse 101; 6. Unlawful Unions on the Renaissance Stage 115.
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''A fine historic exploration of why marriage treatments in literary texts are transformed between the 14th and 16th centuries. ... This volume has the power and evidence--both historic and textual--to revamp our understanding of crucial texts.
Marriage contracts from Chaucer to the Renaissance stage.
0813021022
Chaucer, Geoffrey,-1400., Canterbury tales.
Canterbury tales (Chaucer, Geoffrey)
Adultery in literature.
English drama-- Early modern and Elizabethan, 1500-1600-- History and criticism.
English literature-- Middle English, 1100-1500-- History and criticism.
Marriage customs and rites in literature.
Marriage in literature.
Mysteries and miracle-plays, English-- History and criticism.