The Change in Chaucerian Aesthetics: From The Tale of Sir Thopas to The Tale of Melibee

15455

Chaucer‟s The Tale of Sir Thopas and The Tale of Melibee exhibit the transformation from the romance tradition to philosophical narration, exaggerating romance as an unrealistic narration and presenting philosophical narration as a more realistic literary form. Chaucer the pilgrim firstly starts with romance (The Tale of Sir Thopas) and then continues with a philosophical tale (The Tale of Melibee), which is derived from Boethius‟s Consolation of Philosophy. In this respect, the role of Chaucer the pilgrim is very important to display the change in Chaucerian literary aesthetics. Furthermore, displaying the negative attitudes of the pilgrims, as a representative audience, towards The Tale of Sir Thopas, which starts with the interruption of the tale, and the positive remarks of the pilgrims towards The Tale of Melibee, Chaucer exhibits the reception process of his tales, which can be defined as the reflection of the literary aesthetics not only of the poet but also on the part of the audience/readers. Hence, it can be suggested that, presenting the approval of a more realistic philosophical narrative, Chaucer not only reflects the change in literary aesthetics, but also shapes this change in literary aesthetics. Thus, the aim of this article is to discuss the literary aesthetics of the change from romance to philosophical narration, and to claim that this representation of literary aesthetics is functional in displaying Chaucer‟s literary self-fashioning.

337

Chaucer , The Tale of Sir Thopas , The Tale of Melibee , romance , philosophical narration , literary aesthetics , literary self , fashioning

Mediterranean Journal Of Humanities

346

Mediterranean Journal Of Humanities