Review: The Yeoman's Tale by MJ Trow

Synopsis: Poet-sleuth Geoffrey Chaucer is caught up in the chaos of the Peasants' Revolt as he attempts to track down a brutal killer.June, 1381. Embarking on his annual pilgrimage to Canterbury, Geoffrey Chaucer and his fellow travellers are forced to turn back when confronted with a horde of armed and angry peasants, intent on marching to London. Returning to the city to warn the authorities of the approaching danger, the pilgrims hole up at the Tabard Inn and prepare for the coming invasion.

That same night, a woman's body is fished out of the River Thames, her throat cut. When he discovers that the victim was the wife of one of his fellow pilgrims, Chaucer determines to investigate. Could the woman's henpecked husband be responsible for her death? A jealous business rival? Or was she murdered by one of the pilgrims? Does a cold-hearted killer lurk within the Tabard?

As the army of rebellious peasants approaches, Chaucer finds himself in a race against time to uncover the truth before anarchy descends.

The second in Trow's Chaucer series, this time the setting is 1381 and England is in the midst of a uprising among the peasants. There was great unrest at this time due to a highly unpopular poll-tax - also known as head tax or capitation, is a tax levied as a fixed sum on every liable individual (typically every adult), without reference to income or resources. Many impacted were rural works, artisans, and minor, local officials. The mob was led by one Wat Tyler, though how this came about is not entirely known, and their strength grew as they marched towards London. . One of the other leading lights in all this was the preacher John Ball, recently released from prison, who seemed to serve as some sort of spiritual guide.

Once again we find Chaucer preparing to undertake his pilgrimage to Canterbury, led by the proprietor of the Tabard Inn, one Harry Bailey. Chaucer is in fine company - among his fellow pilgrims are a miller, a merchant, a poet, a prioress, a yeoman archer, a franklin, and a priest. En route, the pilgrims have the misfortune to run into the Kentish mob and a robbed before being sent back on their way. The pilgrims return to the Tabard Inn, and here we discover the first murder. As the mob draws ever closer the pilgrims find themselves barricaded at the Inn - and possibly a murderer among them.

The pace is rather languid - there is no real action scenes, the murders are almost committed "off screen" and the investigation is rather sedentary. The only real scene of any urgency we have is when the young King, Richard II confronts the rabble in order to disperse them with whatever promises he deems fit. It is a case of will the rebels take London and sweep all before them - or will the child-King prevail; whether Chaucer finally solves this murders takes a back seat to all else.

It is an at times amusing vignette into the life of Chaucer, set against prominent historical backdrops, with a little murder and mystery thrown in for good measure. It is an enjoyable series.

Professors in America and the U.K. fight back against the cancelation of Geoffrey Chaucer

From The College Fix:

Academics in both America and the United Kingdom have recently taken actions to prevent Geoffrey Chaucer, the “father of English literature,” from being labeled a rapist, racist and anti-Semite.

In late July, Cambridge University medieval and renaissance English Professor Jill Mann resigned from her position on the board of the Chaucer Review, an academic journal specializing in the work of “The Canterbury Tales” author.

The journal had published an essay called “New Feminist Approaches to Chaucer” in which authors Samantha Katz Seal and Nicole Sidhu argued it is time for feminists “to move past Chaucer” because: “He is a rapist, a racist, an anti-Semite; he speaks for a world in which the privileges of the male, the Christian, the wealthy, and the white are perceived to be an inalienable aspect of human existence.”

The authors also provide evidence that Chaucer himself was a rapist, relaying on a 14th century legal document in which a woman named Cecily Chaumpaigne accused Chaucer from a crime known as “De raptu meo.”

Other scholars have argued the word “raptus” could refer to an “abduction” and point out the legal document actually showed Chaumpaigne releasing Chaucer from any legal obligation related to the claim.

Nonetheless, Katz Seal, a professor of English and women’s studies at the University of New Hampshire and Sidhu, an English professor at Eastern Carolina University, argue feminists “should identify” with Chaumpaigne and not Chaucer.

But Mann objected to the negative characterization of both Chaucer the man and his work.

“To approach Chaucer with this mind-set is to substitute a grotesque caricature for the humane values that distinguish him from many other writers of his time, and that students, in my experience, are quite capable of appreciating,” Mann wrote in a letter to the Times Literary Supplement.

It wasn’t the first time Chaucer had been attacked in British academia. Earlier this year, the University of Leicester announced a plan to remove Chaucer from the English curriculum, replacing him with a “selection of employability modules” and a “chronological literary history” determined by the school’s administrators.

The announcement was made after the school vowed to “decolonize” its curriculum.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., Texas A&M English Professor Jennifer Wollock has argued that Chaucer “was no raunchy proponent of bro culture,” but a “daring and ingenious defender of women and the innocent.”

“I believe the movement to cancel Chaucer has been bamboozled by his tradecraft – his consummate skill as a master of disguise,” Wollock wrote in an essay for The Conversation in July.

Wollock, who has researched Chaucer for decades, argues his works are fiction, and he should not be punished for accurately representing unsavory characters.

“Readers often assume Chaucer’s characters were a reflection of the writer’s own attitude because he is such a convincing role player,” writes Wollock. “Chaucer’s career in the English secret service trained him as an observer, analyst, diplomat and master at concealing his own views.”

Rather than being a sexual predator, she notes her research has found Chaucer “supported women’s right to choose their own mates and the human desire for freedom from enslavement, coercion, verbal abuse, political tyranny, judicial corruption and sexual trafficking.”

Wollock notes that Chaucer salutes the heroism of Jews in an early poem called “The House of Fame.” And she defends Chaucer in the Chaumpaigne episode, noting few authors have ever been more outspoken about man’s inhumanity to women.

“It is bizarre that one of the strongest and earliest writers in English literature to speak out against rape and support women and the downtrodden should be pilloried and threatened with cancellation,” she writes.

Neither Mann nor Wollock responded to requests for comment by The College Fix. Sidhu objected to the charge she is trying to “cancel” Chaucer.

“It is a strange kind of ‘cancel culture’ that produces an entire issue on the writer we are supposedly cancelling,” Sidhu wrote about the edition of the Chaucer Review in which her essay with Katz Seal appeared. “Not to mention that Sam has written an entire book on Chaucer, is writing another one and I have a book chapter and several articles devoted to him.”

“We love Chaucer’s writing but you don’t need to be dishonest about his personal life or his racial politics to think he is brilliant or want to study or write about him,” Sidhu wrote.

“In terms of cancelling, it seems to me that the person who resigns from an editorial board because she doesn’t like something she reads is far more an example of cancel culture than two scholars noting the nuances involved in thinking about the work and life of one of our greatest writers,” she said of Mann’s resignation.

Review: The Knight's Tale by MJ Trow

Synopsis: Introducing 14th century poet Geoffrey Chaucer as a memorable new amateur sleuth in the first of an ingeniously-conceived medieval mystery series.

April, 1380. About to set off on his annual pilgrimage, Comptroller of the King’s Woollens and court poet Geoffrey Chaucer is forced to abandon his plans following an appeal for help from an old friend. The Duke of Clarence, Chaucer’s former guardian, has been found dead in his bed at his Suffolk castle, his bedroom door locked and bolted from the inside. The man who found him, Sir Richard Glanville, suspects foul play and has asked Chaucer to investigate.

On arrival at Clare Castle, Chaucer finds his childhood home rife with bitter rivalries, ill-advised love affairs and dangerous secrets. As he questions the castle’s inhabitants, it becomes clear that more than one member of the Duke’s household had reason to wish him ill. But who among them is a cold-hearted killer? It’s up to Chaucer, with his sharp wits and eye for detail, to root out the evil within.

Personally, I love the way Trow takes a real historical character then posits them knee deep into the role of detective (check out his Kit Marlowe series).

I have added the tag of "alternate history" as Trow does play merry havoc with the timeline slightly but if you are not familiar with the time period, then you would be none-the-wiser. However, Trow is one of those authors who can pull it off rather convincingly and weave a wonderful mystery at the same time.

Geoffrey Chaucer - poet, soldier, civil servant, diplomat, courtier - is called upon by old soldier chum Richard Glanville to investigate a death of the one time patron - Lionel, Duke of Clarence. Throw in some witty, satirical, irreverent and humourous dialogue; murders (of course); some larger than life historical characters; and the aging Chaucer, and you have the start of what promises to be the first of another great mystery series.

This is a fun read - which I undertook in one sitting - testament to Trow's storytelling abilities.

Chaucer scholar honored with prestigious Medieval Institute book prize

From WMU News | Western Michigan University:

A scholar of medieval secular literature and history has won Western Michigan University's Otto Gründler Book Prize for her biography of medieval poet Geoffrey Chaucer.

Dr. Marion Turner, professor of English literature at the University of Oxford, where she holds a Tutorial Fellowship at Jesus College, is the winner of the 2021 prize for "Chaucer: A European Life."

The award, which comes with a $1,000 cash prize, was announced at the 56th International Congress on Medieval Studies held virtually this year. It is named for the late longtime director of WMU's Medieval Institute and has been awarded annually since 1997. It recognizes a monographic book on a medieval subject that the selection committee determines has made an outstanding contribution to the field. Authors from any country are eligible, and nominations are accepted from readers and publishers.

Turner's biography about Chaucer recreates the cosmopolitan world in which he rose from being a wine merchant's son to becoming one of the most celebrated of all English poets. Uncovering important new information about Chaucer's travels, private life and the early circulation of his writings, this innovative biography documents a series of vivid episodes and, at the same time, offers a comprehensive exploration of Chaucer's writings.

"For Turner, the world of Chaucer is not limited; it looms large and vivid. The very importance of international trade, together with multilingual creativity and manuscript exchange, required her to craft a new approach for writing Chaucer's biography; and she has done so. 'Chaucer: A European Life' is informative, innovative and a delightful read," says Dr. Jana K. Schulman, director of WMU's Medieval Institute.

Published by Princeton University Press in 2019, Turner's book was chosen as the 2019 Book of the Year by England's The Times, The Sunday Times and The Times Literary Supplement as well as a best summer read by the Evening Standard and the TLS. It was also picked as a Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year.