Featured New Book
- The Wife of Bath: A Biography From the award-winning biographer of Chaucer, the story of his most popular and scandalous character, from the Middle Ages to #MeToo Ever since her triumphant debut in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, arguably the first ordinary and recognisably real woman in English literature, has obsessed readers—from Shakespeare to James Joyce, Voltaire to Pasolini, Dryden to Zadie Smith. Few literary characters have led such colourful lives or matched her influence or capacity for reinvention in poetry, drama, fiction, and film. In The Wife of Bath, Marion Turner tells the fascinating story of where Chaucer’s favourite character came from, how she related to real medieval women, and where her many travels have taken her since the fourteenth century, from Falstaff and Molly Bloom to #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.
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About The Theater Now
This guide provides information about how to find books, articles, and other resources related to the plays you will be studying in this class. Because both plays are contemporary, scholarly material on them is difficult to find. Expand your search to look for material on the broader themes addressed by each play.
Featured Review: WBUR
- Zadie Smith's 'The Wife of Willesden' at the A.R.T. is a hilarious, updated take on Chaucer (WBUR) “The Wife of Willesden” is author Zadie Smith’s stage adaptation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath” story from “The Canterbury Tales.” It centers on the life of Alvita, a working woman married multiple times. Tampering with classics can be challenging. When attempting to reimagine something, how does one stay true to the spirit of the inspirational text, in this case Chaucer, while honoring their voice and still end up with something recognizable or good?
See also:
- In the Rehearsal Room with Zadie Smith (The American Repertory Theater ) Adaptor Zadie Smith on the process of bringing Geoffrey Chaucer’s Wife of Bath to life in contemporary London
More About this Guide
This guide is designed to help you find sources of background information, exhibits, arguments, and research methods related to the topic of the course and your own interests.
For individual help -- no question is too big or too small -- contact me via the profile box on the right, or see the Get Help page.
Image: What would a writer do with this source? by Kristin M. Woodward/Kate L. Ganski is licensed under CC BY 4.0
Librarian
This guide was originally authored by Chris Smith, April, 2023.