Includes bibliographical references (pages 169-174) and index.
CONTENTS NOTE
Text of Note
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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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
''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.
OTHER EDITION IN ANOTHER MEDIUM
Title
Marriage contracts from Chaucer to the Renaissance stage.
International Standard Book Number
0813021022
PERSONAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
Chaucer, Geoffrey,-1400., Canterbury tales.
TITLE USED AS SUBJECT
Canterbury tales (Chaucer, Geoffrey)
TOPICAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
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.