Wife of Bath 2.0: Medievalist Appropriations of Chaucer’s "The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale"

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• 1. INTRODUCTION
• 2. THEORETICAL ASPECTS: MEDIEVALISM AND NEOMEDIEVALISM
• 3. CHAUCER: WIFE OF BATH PROLOGUE AND TALE
  • 3.1. SUMMARY AND GENERAL THEMES
  • 3.2. HISTORICAL CONTEXT
• 4. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
  • 4.1. JEAN “BINTA” BREEZE – “THE WIFE OF BATH SPEAKS IN BRIXTON MARKET”
    • 4.1.1. Summary
    • 4.1.2. Analysis
  • 4.2. PATIENCE AGBABI - WHAT DO WOMEN LIKE BES?
    • 4.2.1. Summary
    • 4.2.2. Analysis
  • 4.3. BABA BRINKMAN - THE WIFE OF BATH
    • 4.3.1. Summary
    • 4.3.2. Analysis
• 5. IS THERE A PATTERN?
  • 5.1. PATTERN FOR THE ADAPTATION OF THEMES AND THE PLOT
  • 5.2. PATTERN FOR THE ADAPTATION OF LANGUAGE
• 6. MEDIEVALISM OR NEOMEDIEVALISM?
• 7. CONCLUSION

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This thesis analyzes how contemporary artists reinterpret Geoffrey Chaucer's The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale. It examines the concepts of medievalism and neomedievalism, providing a framework for understanding the approaches taken by modern creators. The analysis focuses on three specific adaptations: poems by Jean “Binta” Breeze and Patience Agbabi, and a rap song by Baba Brinkman. The study aims to identify patterns in their thematic adaptations, plot restructuring, and language choices, ultimately determining whether these works represent medievalism or neomedievalism.

• Medievalism and Neomedievalism as theoretical frameworks
• Thematic adaptations in contemporary retellings of The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
• Analysis of the language and structure employed in modern adaptations
• Identification of patterns in the appropriation of Chaucer's work
• Distinguishing between medievalism and neomedievalism in the selected works

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

Chapter 1: Introduction introduces the topic, outlining the thesis's objective to analyze modern adaptations of Chaucer's Wife of Bath and their relation to medievalism and neomedievalism. Chapter 2: Theoretical Aspects: Medievalism and Neomedievalism defines and differentiates the concepts of medievalism and neomedievalism, providing a theoretical foundation for the subsequent analysis. Chapter 3: Chaucer: Wife of Bath Prologue and Tale offers a summary and overview of Chaucer's original work, highlighting its key themes and historical context. Chapter 4: Comparative Analysis provides summaries and analyses of three modern adaptations, examining their approaches to thematic and structural reinterpretation. Chapter 5: Is There a Pattern? explores patterns found in the adaptations across thematic and linguistic elements.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Medievalism, Neomedievalism, Geoffrey Chaucer, The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale, Jean “Binta” Breeze, Patience Agbabi, Baba Brinkman, The Canterbury Tales, Adaptation, Reinterpretation, Literary Analysis, Modern Appropriations.