Reviews: Chaucer and the Cultures of Love and Marriage

Abstract

Cathy Hume's book encompasses two main areas of discussion: firstly, a detailed exploration of late-medieval behavioural norms relating to love and marriage and, secondly, a critical reappraisal of several works by Chaucer in the light of these norms. Central to Hume's argument is the notion that Chaucer 'repeatedly presents love and marriage through the prism of contemporary experience [and] … tensions' relating to them (p. 2).