Tuesday, September 3, 2019
Secularism v. Spirituality in the Second Nuns Tale Essay -- Second Nu
Secularism v. Spirituality in the Second Nun's Tale       In the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer describes the men and women of the Church in extreme forms; most of these holy pilgrims, such as the Monk, the Friar, and Pardoner, are caricatures of objectionable parts of Catholic society. At a time when the power-hungry Catholic Church used the misery of peasants in order to obtain wealth, it is no wonder that one of the greatest writers of the Middle Ages used his works to comment on the religious politics of the day.       Yet not all of Chaucer's religious characters are failures in spirituality. His description of the Second Nun is of a truly pious woman who spends her life in the service of others; she claims this service as the very reason she tells her tale:             And for to putte us fro swich ydelnesse,            That cause is of so greet confusioun,            I have heer doon my feithful bisynesse,            After the legende, in translacioun            Right of thy glorious lyf and passioun            Thou with thy gerland wrought with rose and lilie -            Thee meene I, mayde and martir, Seint Cecilie. (22-28)  She is using her time wisely and in the service of her God, avoiding the easy-to-commit sin of sloth as she journeys on her horse, and aiding her comrades in the avoidance of this sin. In addition to saving the pilgrimage from sloth, she enlightens and teaches those around her, much like her beloved Saint Cecilia.  However, while the character herself is fascinating and worthy of study alone, most intriguing is the choice of her tale. What is Chaucer's purpose in having the character tell the tale ... ...owski, Eileen S. "Chaucer's Second Nun's Tale and the Apocalyptic Imagination." The Chaucer Review. 36.2. 2001: 128-148. Project Muse. 2 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Second Nun. Martin, Fredrick. Increase and Multipy in the Speech Acts of Chaucer's Nun's Priest, Second Nun, and Canon's Yeoman. 30 Mar. 2002 <http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/9976/chaucer8.html>. Reames, Sherry L. "The Cecilia Legend as Chaucer Inherited It and Retold It: The Disappearance of an Augustinian Ideal." Speculum. 55.1. 1980: 38-57. JSTOR. 6 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Second Nun. Taise, Brother Anthony of. Chaucer and Religion. Ewha University, Seoul. 30 Mar. 2002 <http://www.sogang.ac.kr/~anthony/Religion.htm>. Weise, Judith A. "Chaucer's Tell-Tale Lexicon: Romancing Seinte Cecyle." Style. 31.3. 1997: 440-479. ProQuest. 02 Apr. 2002. Keyword: Second Nun. Â
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