The Naked Text

"Sheila Delany's book is the most convincing argument yet for the importance of the Legend, both on its own terms and in terms of Chaucer's career and literary climate. She convincingly demolishes the sense of the work on the part of its detractors and defenders as naive or obvious. Instead, she rediscovers a surprisingly unrecognized Chaucerian ironic mode, which in light of feminist theory complicates Chaucer's place vis-à-vis the representation of women. It will be the most widely cited study of the Legend of Good Women for some time to come."--John M. Ganim, author of Chaucerian Theatricality "It will never be possible to 'trivialize' the Legend or to underestimate its importance in the canon of Chaucer's works again. This beautifully written book is more than just another book on Chaucer: this is a book on Chaucer that we really need."--R. A. Shoaf, editor of Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde"