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122
Geoffrey Chaucer
the three male sinners (Nicholas, John, and Absolon) have each been
linked, respectively, with three distinct sins (lechery, avarice, and pride
[B&G 507]). These sins are all exhibited by the Miller himself, so that
Absolon in particular, who also combines all three sins, can be seen
(with perfect irony!) as the Miller’s representative within the Miller’s
own tale [B&G 522]. Thus, while the Miller probably sets out to mock
other pilgrims, as well as to burlesque the conventions of “serious” tales
of love, and while the Miller seems to take Christian ethics and values
no more seriously than do his main characters, Chaucer contrives the
work in such a way that by telling the tale, the Miller inadvertently
makes a mockery of his own crude ethics and unchristian conduct. The
Miller’s Tale is a work that brims with violations of assorted social and
religious taboos, but it is also a work that inevitably reminds us of the
very standards and ideals that its characters (and teller) transgress.
NOTES
1. For ease of reference, I will use abbreviations to refer to several
sources. Thus, V = Thomas R. Ross’s Variorum edition, where the
cited numbers refer to page numbers; B&G = the Burton and
Greentree bibliography, where the cited numbers refer to item
numbers; and M = MacLaine, where the cited numbers refer to
page numbers. When quoting Chaucer’s poetry, I will cite from
the Donaldson edition.
WORKS CITED OR CONSULTED
Burton, T.L. and Rosemary Greentree, eds. Chaucer’s Miller’s, Reeve’s, and
Cook’s Tales. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997.
Donaldson, E.T., ed. Chaucer’s Poetry: An Anthology for the Modern Reader. New
York: Ronald Press, 1958.
MacLaine, Allan H. The Student’s Comprehenive Guide to The Canterbury Tales.
Woodbury, NY: Barron’s Educational Series, 1964.
Ross, Thomas W., ed. The Miller’s Tale: A Variorum Edition of the Works of
Geoffrey Chaucer. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1983.