Beyond the “Fishbowl”: Navigating Ideology and Bias in Chaucer’s Jewish Representations

Authors:

Pages: 439-449
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54664/SMWG4794

Abstract:

This article explores the complex portrayal of Jewish characters in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, particularly in The Prioress’s Tale and The Pardoner’s Tale. Using a New Historicist approach, the study investigates how Chaucer’s depictions reflect the medieval religious and cultural climate rather than contemporary ideas of anti-Semitism. While The Prioress’s Tale reinforces traditional anti-Judaic tropes to affirm Christianity, The Pardoner’s Tale uses Jewish figures to critique Christian moral failings. Ultimately, the article highlights the duality of Jewishness as both desecrator and essential aid to Christian faith, demonstrating how Chaucer’s Jewish characters are symbolic constructs rather than realistic depictions. This analysis underscores the necessity of avoiding anachronism in studying medieval texts and suggests that Chaucer’s representations of Jewishness are foundational archetypes that shaped later English literary tradition.

Keywords:

Geoffrey Chaucer, New Historicism, Medieval anti-Judaism, religious conflict, literary archetypes

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