7. The Hierarchy’s Keys

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. List of Illustrations ix
4. Abbreviations xv
5. Preface xvii
6. Part I. Chaucer, Social Theory, and Fourteenth- Century History
7. Introduction. On Looking at the Meaning of Chaucer's Language 3
8. 1. The General Prologue, the Three-Estate Theory, and the “Age and Body” of the Time 19
9. Part II. The Canterbury Tales on Temporal Lords
10. 2. The Order of the Passion and Internal Order 49
11. 3. The Lawyer’s Tale and the History of Christian English Law 85
12. 4. Chaucer on Temporal Power and Art 104
13. PART III. The CANTERBURY TALES on the Spiritual Power
14. 5. Stratford’s Nunnery, Sapience, and Monasticism’s Critical Role 127
15. 6. Monasticism’s Royal Claim 160
16. 7. The Hierarchy’s Keys 183
17. 8. Summoner Wrath on Friar Perfection 214
18. 9. The Sect of the Wife of Bath and the Quest for Perfection 235
19. 10. In Conclusion 276
20. APPENDIX. A Note on the Relationship of Meaning and Historical Forms of Life 301
21. Index 303
22. Backmatter 372