Alchemy and Christianity in Fragment VIII of The Canterbury Tales

• 발행기관: 한국외국어대학교 영미연구소
• 저자명: Lee, Dongchoon
• 간행물 정보: 『영미연구』제28집, 49~77쪽, 전체 28쪽
• 주제분류: 어문학 > 영어와문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2013.06.30

영문 초록

Fragment VIII of the Canterbury Tales provides a representative case for evaluating Chaucer as a "Christian poet" whose interest lies in the reconciliation of Christian discourse in the "Second Nun's Tale" with alchemical discourse in the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale." Chaucer tries to place two seemingly different tales, the saint's celestial life and the alchemist's earthly life within Christian myth. In spite of the points of opposition between the Second Nun's religious imagery and the Canon's Yeoman's alchemical imagery, the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" symbolically ends with the idea of salvation and thereby establishes spiritual alchemy and Christianity as complementary rather than oppositional. Although the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" involves the satirical tradition or parody on a spiritual transformation in comparison with the previous tale, Chaucer's focus in the former tale is on the sacred implications of alchemy rather than on simply opposition to the saint's story. This is suggested by Chaucer's attitude toward alchemy, by his spiritual view on the alchemist's un-extinguishable quest for the "philosopher's Stone," and by his building the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" around the theme of penitence.

목차

Ⅰ. Introduction

Ⅱ. Alchemy and Christianity as Complementary

Ⅲ. Chaucer's Attitude toward Alchemist and the Quest for the 'Stone'

Ⅳ. The "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" in terms of the Penitential Framework

WORKS CITED

Abstract

키워드

연금술 기독교 참회 '철학자의 돌,' 성당 참사회 의원의 종자 alchemy Christianity penitence 'Philosopher's Stone,' Canon's Yeoman