Characterization by Ovid, Gower and Chaucer of the Tereus-Procne-Philomela Story
- Author/Editor
- Oka, Saburo
- Title
- Characterization by Ovid, Gower and Chaucer of the Tereus-Procne-Philomela Story
- Published
- Oka, Saburo. "Characterization by Ovid, Gower and Chaucer of the Tereus-Procne-Philomela Story." Thought Currents in English Literature (Aoyama Gakuin University) 64 (1991), pp. 1-15.
- Review
- Discusses the depiction of the three major characters in Chaucer's ("Legend of Good Women"), Gower's ("Confessio Amantis") and Ovid's ("Metamorphoses")versions of the legend of Philomela. Gower preserves the favorable description of Tereus at the beginning of the tale, while Chaucer emphasizes his villainy. Despite opening the way for the "tragedy" of his transformation, however, Gower shows less sympathy for Tereus than he does for other characters overcome by love, and gives less attention to his psychology. [PN. Copyright The John Gower Society. JGN 11.2]
- Date
- 1991
- Gower Subjects
- Sources, Analogues, and Literary Relations
- Confessio Amantis