Essay about Common Sense, Ethics, and Dogma in The Wife of...

Common Sense, Ethics, and Dogma in The Wife of Bath In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer assembles a band of pilgrims who, at the behest of their host, engage in a story-telling contest along their route. The stories told along the way serve a number of purposes, among them to entertain, to instruct, and to enlighten. In addition to the intrinsic value of the tales taken individually, the tales in their telling reveal much about the tellers. The pitting of tales one against another provides a third level of complexity, revealing the interpersonal dynamics of the societal microcosm comprising the diverse group of pilgrims. Within the larger context, the tales can be divided into groups. These ‘fragments’ are each cohesive, not†¦show more content†¦Both the young knights in the tale possess that most basic characteristic of courtly romance, that of hopeless covetousness – desiring that which is seemingly unattainable. Alice of Bath gives us an exercise in critical thinking by taking issue with this basic premise of courtly love, to be felt towards lovers, but not towards wives. In introducing his modern English translation of the Canterbury Tales, Nevill Coghill gives us a primer in courtly love, thus: It was not in fashion to write poems to one’s wife. It could even be debated whether love could ever have a place in marriage; the typical situation in which a ‘courtly lover’ found himself was to be plunged in a secret, an illicit, and even an adulterous passion for some seemingly unattainable and pedestalized lady†¦ the most beautiful of absolute disasters, an agony as much desired as bemoaned †¦ This was not in theory the attitude of a husband to his wife. It was for a husband to command, for a wife to obey (12). With both the acceptability of this first assumption of covetousness, and this second assumption that love has no place in marriage, Alice takes issue in her prologue and tale. Alice’s tale espouses her authentic morality. While she makes it plain in her prologue that she respects the dogma and ritual of religion to a point, Alice of Bath has departed from tradition inShow MoreRelatedOrganisational Theory230255 Words   |  922 Pagesassumptions of symbolic interactionism Strengths and weaknesses of the symbolic interactionist understanding of organizations Phenomenology reaches the emotions Ethnomethodology: understanding organizational ‘common sense’ Organizational symbolism The ways in which individuals develop a sense of self in organizations 282 282 284 286 287 288 288 293 294 298 300 301 . Contents xi The self as dramatic artful creation Negotiating the way between the self and the organization’s rules DevelopingRead MoreLogical Reasoning189930 Words   |  760 PagesDowden Philosophy Department California State University Sacramento Sacramento, CA 95819 USA ii iii Preface Copyright  © 2011-14 by Bradley H. Dowden This book Logical Reasoning by Bradley H. Dowden is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That is, you are free to share, copy, distribute, store, and transmit all or any part of the work under the following conditions: (1) Attribution You must attribute the work in the manner specifiedRead MoreManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pageswas once called the â€Å"New Economy† approach to management and leadership (which was viewed as â€Å"diffused and networked†) converge with today’s payoffs in â€Å"Old Economy† companies (which once were thought of as being â€Å"hierarchical† and â€Å"appointed†). The common denominator is constantly improving the perceived value for customers, investors, employees, suppliers, and the public, which is the foundation for success in serving today’s very buyer-savvy markets. Understanding the new strength of business management