Closure in the Canterbury Tales: The Role of The Parsons Tale (Studies in Medieval and Early Modern Culture)

These ten papers, which originated at the 1994 International Meeting of the New Chaucer Society held in Canterbury, reject the tradition that assumes that The Parson's Tale has little literary merit. Instead, the contributors argue that the Tale has unquestionable spiritual value and is one of the most moral of the Tales , directing its reader to a happy life of good works and good thoughts. The contributors search for Chaucer's authorial and narrative voices and examine the role of The Parson's Tale in closing The Canterbury Tales . Above all, the papers aim to promote an appreciation of the Tale in scholars and readers alike. Includes a full bibliograpy.

David Raybin is a professor of English at Eastern Illinois University and has extensively published on the Canterbury Tales. Linda Tarte Holley is professor emerita of English from North Carolina State University