Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Riddle of Sovereignty

1993; Modern Humanities Research Association; Volume: 88; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3733758

2222-4319

Manuel Aguirre,

Medieval Literature and History

Aguirre considers Gower's tale of Florent within his discussion of the relation between the English analogues of Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Tale and Celtic myths of sovereignty from which some scholars believe that these tales derive. Aguirre argues for a closer connection than has been traditionally recognized, and he sees a continuity, with transformation, between the numinous, extra-rational woman who grants territorial sovereignty in the Celtic tales and the fairy-like woman who makes an unreasonable demand for sovereignty in marriage in the later versions. He suggests further transformation of the figure of the woman in SGGK and later literature. [PN. Copyright The John Gower Society. JGN 13.1]