Chaucer Criticism ed. by Richard and Jerome Taylor (review)

CHAUCER CRITICISM EDITED BY RICHARD AND JEROME TAYLOR (Notre Dame: University ofNotre Dame Press, vol. 1 , 1960, 3 10 pages; vol. 2, 1961, 293 pages; rpt. 1978. $3.75 each.) The tenth reprinting of Schoeck and Taylor's familiar Chaucer Criticism insures the continued availability of a convenient means of scholarship. Although unrevised since their initial printing, the books have served as valuable resources for students and teachers. The reappearance of these two volumes at a reasonable price is particularly important when printing costs have driven many other important textbooks from the market. The design of the overall selection of essays remains representative of major critical concerns in modern Chaucer studies. In volume one, essays by E. Talbot Donaldson and Ralph Baldwin on the unity of the Canterbury Tales are followed by three essays on historical aspects ofcharacterization in the prologue portraits and ten essays that deal with individual tales. The final two essays use the tales as a key to a broader understanding of Chaucer's art. Volume two is devoted to Troilus and Criseyee, The Book ofthe Duchess, The House ofFame, and The Parlement ofFoules. After George William Dodd's essay on the nature ofcourtly love, the next twelve essays attempt to deal with aspects of theme or technique in the Troilus. Dorothy Bethurum's essay of Chaucer's narrative stance in the minor poems provides an excellent transition to the remaining essays which deal individually with The House ofFame, The Book ofthe Duchess, and The Parlement ofFoules. Two essays, one in each volume, were not previously printed, and several ofthe other essays were revised especially for the collection. The breadth and variety of Chaucer criticism makes it impossible to satisfy everyone. Some might wish that thevolumes provided sharper distinctions among the types of criticism represented, while others might argue that certain types of historical criticism are emphasized at the expense of other approaches. However, the introductions to the volumes, though succinct, are still excellent guides to the critical issues represented in the essays. Although the volumes do not provide the comprehensive survey of critical attitudes to be found in a work such as Rowland's Companion to Chaucer Studies, they offer a convenient, reliable, and inexpensive alternative to give students an opportunity for first-hand evaluation of Chaucer criticism. ROBERT L. KINDRICK* •ROBERT L. KINDRICK earned his Ph.D. at the University ofTexas at Austin. Heis Professor and Head of the Department of English at Central Missouri State University, where he has taught since 1967. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Missouri Committeefor the Humanities. His previous publications have appeared in MidAmerica, Studies in Scottish Literature, and Medievalia et Humanística. ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVIEW79 ...