Abstract
"Saving Chaucer's Troilus" responds to recent criticism elaborating on the cultural construction of Criseyde at Troilus's expense. Whereas analyses of Troilus note his affinity with philosophical principles, on one hand, and his socially dominant position, on the other hand, he fails to elicit much sympathy. Absent from these analyses, however, is the context of medieval practical reasoning that informs Troilus's deliberations and ultimately humanizes him. Following academically prescribed formulae, Troilus encounters a double-bind between reason and desire. His conflict effectively results from his adherence to principles deriving from his privileged position as a courtly knight. His cultural identity, in turn, disables his ethical integrity in a warring Troy and issues in his inability to act constructively. Troilus's philosophizing reflects a withdrawal from the narrative world. Although representing the dominant culture, he, like Criseyde, falls victim to it.
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Ciccone, N. Saving Chaucer's Troilus 'With desir and reson twight'. Neophilologus 86, 641–658 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019623631213
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1019623631213