Time and Again: Feminism, Form, and the Failures of the Legend of Good Women

At the heart of many readers' frustration with the Legend of Good Women is its repetitive narrative structure. This article considers how we can adapt feminist and queer theories of time to set aside gendered aesthetic expectations and reevaluate that form. Setting the Prologue in dream time raises the possibility of awakening and acting differently in the future. The God of Love and Alceste sketch out different plans to effect that change through penance, offering narrative structures aligned with the key metaphors of the calendar and the daisy. The poem allows these multiple possibilities to coexist, and the recursive nature of the legends as a collection invites readers to synchronize as a community and engage in the process of change alongside the dreamer.