Patriarchy, Family, and Law in Gower's "Confessio Amantis."
- Author/Editor
- Peck, Russell A.
- Title
- Patriarchy, Family, and Law in Gower's "Confessio Amantis."
- Published
- Peck, Russell A. "Patriarchy, Family, and Law in Gower's 'Confessio Amantis'." In Studies in the Age of Gower: A Festschrift in Honour of R. F. Yeager. Ed. Susannah Mary Chewning. Cambridge: D. S. Brewer, 2020. Pp. 59-78.
- Review
- Given the frequent attention paid in previous criticism to Gower's depiction of father-daughter relations, Peck chooses to focus his attention in this essay on Gower's portrayal of father-son relationships, beginning with what he calls "the dramatic presence of the father-son trope for the whole of the 'Confessio,' namely the relationship of Genius and Amans" (61). His analysis then focuses on three tales: the "Tale of the False Bachelor" (CA II.2510-781); "The Tale of Canace and Machaire" (CA III.143-360); and "The Tale of Constance" (CA II.587-1598). In his account, each of these narratives concern battles between the heart and the intellect, split priorities necessitated by the fact that, in Peck's formulation, "Genius, as priestly confessor, serves two masters: the pagan goddess Venus and the Christian Trinity . . ." (61). From these materials, Peck argues that: "In his 'Confessio Amantis,' John Gower may not be revolutionary in his critique of patriarchy and familial relationships under patriarchal jurisdiction, but no fourteenth-century English writer is more aware of and articulate about the limitations of patriarchal behavior in the practices of his own day" (59). [EK. Copyright. The John Gower Society eJGN 40.1]
- Date
- 2020
- Gower Subjects
- Confessio Amantis