Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
English
Date of Award
5-2016
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Judith Bailey Slagle
Committee Members
Josh Reid, Frederick Waage
Abstract
The parallels between the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and Henry Fielding are very striking. Both authors produced some of the greatest works in English literature, yet very little scholarly investigation has been done regarding these two in relationship with one another. In this work I explore the characters of Chaucer’s Parson and Parson Adams, assessing their strengths and weaknesses through pastoral guides by Gregory the Great and George Herbert, while drawing additional conclusions from John Dryden. I examine the episodic, theatrical nature of both authors’ works, along with the inclusion of fabliau throughout. Finally, I look at the shared motif of knight-errant in the works of both authors and the motion employed throughout the tales as travel narratives. By examining these authors’ works, I contend that Fielding masterfully employs many of Chaucer’s literary techniques in his own tales, crafting them to work specifically for the eighteenth-century novel and its audience.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Canter, Zachary A., "Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews, and The Canterbury Tales: Parallels in the Comic Genius of Henry Fielding and Geoffrey Chaucer" (2016). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 3036. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/3036
Copyright
Copyright 2016 by Zachary Alan Canter