| Because landholding litigation was so prevalent in late feudalism, gentry and nobility learned land law, in school or in court: thus, feudal-legal terminology pervaded medieval literature. I remedy scholarly neglect of specific legal meanings by explaining how they change interpretations of the Canterbury Tales (first two fragments) and Troilus and Criseyde. I also include a survey of land law history and a glossary.Chaucer's informed use of so many legal words and phrases prove that he was steeped in land law and that he expected his courtly audience to have at least a lay knowledge of its terminology.The General Prologue's ironic descriptions depend on feudal-legal language. And the pilgrims make a mock-covenant. Terms: foreward, composicioun, tale, wedde, juge, repourtour, governour, mariage, certeyn ferme, purchase, rente, fee symple, catel, benefice.In the Knight's Tale, knights swear eleven oaths, recalling early feudalism. Terms: preyere, distress, oth, knight, hindren, furthren, darreyne battile, feith, crien mercy, maken ende, conclusioun, repplicacioun, affermen, writen, confermen, disposicioun, destruccioun and corruption of blood, defien, force, alliaunce, caytyve, maintenaunce, yeer, eterne graunt, champerty, executen, purveiaunce, aiel, disheriten, fyn, merciment.The Miller's Tale contains courtly feudal parody, and feudal puns on words for Absolon's barbering, clerking skills. Terms: fynding, freendes, laten, clippen, shaven, maken, acquitaunce.The Reeve's Tale's plot revolves around land law: a marriage prevents estate forfeiture, heirship equals social climbing, and mesalliance threatens estates. Terms: pannes of bras, saven, yeomanrye, heir, dispenden, honouren, devouren, sokene, doute, esement, amendement, disparagement.The Man of Law's Tale uses the religious-feudal metaphor. Terms: distraint, recovery, ministre of fredam for almesse, sufficient, gree, reneyan, chasen, wasten, destroien.In Troilus and Criseyde, love is like a land conveyance. I also discuss feudal terminology in Pearl, Sir Gawain, Piers Plowman. Terms: disponen, resignen, hond, entente, scrit, bille, matere, loken, in harmyng or repreve, lettre, borwe, feffen, accord, perpetuely durynge, holden, certeyn ende, juste cause, clause, libertee, seurtee, pes, aselen, fastnen, writ, sesen, awen, knawen, beuerage, abaten, hyne, dissente, endente, alowen, pryvee and apert, office, claymen, lynage and porage, lyving, fynal ende, in dede, poynt, pretenden, disposicioun, leden, accepten, executen, concorde, quite, estate real, fyn. |
