1. The Miller’s Tale – Lecture 2 Chaucer’s bawdy

2. “What is pornography to one man is the laughter of genius to another”. –D. H. Lawrence Today, I wish to take stock of the ‘genius’ in the laughter that accompanies ‘The Miller’s Tale’.

3. She was a prymerole, a piggesnye, For any lord to leggen in his bedde, Or yet for any good yeman to wedde. [160-62] [She was a primrose, a trillium, fit to grace the bed of any lord or to marry any good yeoman] Trillium = a flowering plant

4. Successful Seduction And thus they been accorded and ysworn To waite a tyme, as I have told biforn. Whan Nicholas had doon thus everideel, And thakked hire aboute the lendes weel, He kiste hire sweete and taketh his sawtrie, And pleyeth faste, and maketh melodie. (193-198) Prose trans: In this way they reached an agreement and swore to wait for their chance, as I told you. When Nicholas had for some time stroked her body, he kissed her gently. Then he took down his guitar and joyously played many melodies. [melody that stands in for sexual desire – partly anticipation. The phrasing – a succession of verbal clusters, so a tremendous sense of exuberance]

5. Absolon Crul was his heer, and as the gold it shoon, And strouted as a fanne large and brode; Ful streight and evene lay his joly shode; His rode was reed, his eyen greye as goos; With Poules wyndow corven on his shoos, In hoses rede he wente fetisly. Yclad he was ful smal and proprely Al in a kirtel of a lyght waget; [206-213] [His curly hair shone like gold; it was spread out like a large fan and parted straight and evenly down the centre. He had red cheeks and eyes as blue as a goose, and he walked elegantly and properly in shoes of an open-work design, like a window of St. Paul’s. He was clothed trimly and correctly in red stockings and a coat of light blue... ] [A sort of fashion –plate description]

6. ‘But sooth to seyn, he was somdeel squaymous, Of farting, and of speche daungerous’. (239-40) [ But to tell the truth, he was rather squeamish about farting and a bit fastidious in his speech] Farting is a universal pleasure!! (?)

7. Early 14 th c. smithy (Gorleston Ms) Gervase in his forge, where he “smythed plough harneys”?

8. Betrayal – Alison and Nicholas at play Withouten words mo they goon to bedde, Ther as the carpenter is wont to lie. There was the revel and the melodie; And thus lith Alison and Nicholas, In bisynesse of mirthe and of solas, Til that the belle of laudes gan to ringe, And freres in the chauncel gonne singe. (542-548) [Without wasting words they went into the same bed in which the carpenter usually slept. Then there was great sport and merriment. They lay there in mirth and pleasure until the bell rang for early morning services and friars began to sing in the chapel.]

9. Lords of the World Whan that grete shour is goon away, Thanne shaltou swimme as mirie, I undertake, As dooth the white doke after hire drake. Thanne wol I clepe, “How, Alison! How, John! Be mirie, for the flood wol passe anon.” And thou wolt seyn, ‘Hail, maister Nicholay! Good morwe, I se thee wel, for it is day.’ And thane shul we be lords al oure lyf Of al the world, as Noe and his wyf. (466-474) [When the great flood has passed, then you shall be ready to float as merrily, I swear, as a white duck following her drake. Then I shall call, ‘How goes it Alison? And you, John? Be merry for the flood will soon pass.’ And you will answer, ‘Hail, Master Nick! Good morning, I see you clearly for it is day.’ Then for the rest of our lives we shall be lords of the world, like Noah and his wife.]

10. ‘he could answer if men asked him at certain time whether there should be drought or showers or what would happen in any given situation’ (prose translation, 87-90)

11. Abak he stirte, and thought it was amis, For wel he wiste a woman hath no berd. He felte a thing al rough and long yherd, And seide, ‘Fy! Allas! What have I do? ‘Tehee!’, quod she and clapte the wyndow to. [627-633] [Teehee! She said, and slammed the window shut.]... he kiste hir naked ers Ful savourly

12. A woman with a beard!!!??? Comic book sketch

13. Nicholas is punished [‘Nicholas had risen from the bed to urinate, and thought he would put the finishing touch to the joke; Absalom should kiss his ass without fail. So Nicholas quickly raised the window and thrust his ass far out. Then the clerk Absalom said, ‘Speak, sweet bird, I do not know where you are.” At this Nicholas let flay a fart with a noise as great as a clap of thunder, so that Absalom was almost overcome by the force of it. But he was ready with his hot iron and he smote Nicholas in the idle of his ass. The skin came off a hand’s-breath across, the hot cultour (blade that runs in front of the plough) had so scorched his buttocks, and Nicholas thought he would die of the pain. Like a mad man, he began to shout, ‘Help, water! Water, help, for God’s sake! [690-715]

14. Absolon’s attempt at seduction What do ye, hony-comb, sweete Alisoun, My faire bryd, my sweete cynamome? Awaketh, lemman myn, and speketh to me! Wel lithel thynken ye upon me wo, That for youre love I swete ther I go. No wonder is thogh that I swelte and swete; I moorne as dooth a lamb after the tete. Ywis, lemman, I have swich love-longynge, That lik a turtel trewe is my moornynge. I may nat ete na moore than a mayde. (590 ff) ‘What are you doing, honeycomb, sweet Alison, my fair bird, my sweet cinnamon? Awake, my love, and speak to me! You don’t care about my troubles, but for love of you I sweat wherever I go. It’s no wonder that I burn and sweat; I cry like a lamb for the teat. Indeed, sweetheart, I am so lovelorn for you that my mourning is like a turtledove’s. I cannot eat any more than can a girl.’ – prose translation [‘Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away; for low, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.’ (Son of Solomon, 2:10-12)]

15. Noah and the Ark Noees flood come alwinge as the see To drenchen Alisoun, his hony deere. Is this Alison in the waves?

16. Absalom was a great favourite of his father and of the people as well. He was exceptionally charming and strikingly handsome. His beauty, manners and his love of and royal ceremony, made him a favourite of the people. He lived in great style – rode about in a magnificent chariot and had fifty men run before him. This kind of display was hugely appealing, especially to the young aristocrats of the royal city. It is said he had a magnificent head of hair. [see 2 Samuel]

17. Bosch Garden of Earthly Delights

19. Last lines – just deserts In this way the carpenter was made a cuckold in spite of all his care and jealousy; and Absalom kissed Alison’s nether eye, and Nicholas had his buttocks scorched. This tale is done, and God save all this company.

20. Last lines – In this way the carpenter was made a cuckold in spite of all his care and jealousy; and Absalom kissed Alison’s nether eye, and Nicholas had his buttocks scorched. This tale is done, and God save all this company. [Your translation] And thus the carpenter’s young wife got laid In spite of how he tried to guard the slut, And Absalom did kiss her naked butt, And Nicholas’s naked rump is toast. This tale is done; God bless our gracious host.

21. Whan folk hadde laughen at this nyce cas Of Absolon and hende Nicholas Diverse folk diversely they seyde, But for the moore parte they loughe and pleyde. [Reeve’s Prologue} [When the people had laughed at this silly adventure of Absolon and courteous Nicholas, different ones gave different opinions, but for the most part they laughed and joked about it. [Beginning of the Reeve’s Tale]

22. Carnivalesque Let us say a few initial words about the complex nature of carnivalesque laughter. It is, first of all, a festive laughter. Therefore it is not an individual reaction to some isolated ‘comic’ event. Carnival laughter is the laughter of all the people. Second, it is universal in scope; it is directed at all and everyone, including the carnival’s participants. The entire world is seen in its droll aspect, in its gay relativity. Third, this laughter is ambivalent: it is gay, triumphant, and at the same time mocking, deriding. It asserts and denies, it buries and revives. Such is the laughter of carnival. [Bakhtin, Introduction to Rabelais and His World, 1968]

23. Feast of Fools A time when ‘sacrilegious acts were permitted

24. Hogarth – The Laughing Audience, c. 1733

25. ‘The Miller’s Tale’ licenses Chaucer to give away for a moment the authorial role he might be expected to play as a serious poet/a writer of great books. And, instead, to join the game. We can, perhaps, see ‘The Miller’s Tale, as Chaucer’s holiday time – time to write as he please. It is his time off from being a noble, court poet. At the very least, this tale is festive art, turning daily experience into something singular. Chaucer as the LORD OF MISRULE