Most of the time, fabliaux are lighthearted and lusty, but occasionally they stray into dark humour, like ‘The Snow Baby’.
From Swifan to Swyved: Contemplating the Evolution of Medieval Double-Entendre Literature
February 11, 2015 By
Throughout history verbal jousts tested a participant’s creativity, knowledge, and mastery of language, thus catalyzing the evolution of so-called wisdom literature.
“Walkynge in the mede” : Chaucerian gardens and the recasting of the Edenic fall
April 21, 2013 By
In this thesis, I intend to illustrate how Chaucer uses his knowledge of garden traditions, both biblical and practical, to discuss the concept of the Garden of Eden and the Fall of humanity.
Contemplating the Evolution of Medieval Double-Entendre Literature
March 10, 2013 By
The linguistic composition of the Exeter Book Riddles supports this, and in fact, the genre became a refuge for contemporary colloquial speech which was seen as coarse and lower class within the ideologies of Christianity and Germanic heroism.
Triangles of the Sacred Sisterhood
August 19, 2012 By
In courtly works, the resolution is generally in favour of the status quo as a courtly adulterous affair rarely works out, while in the fabliau the marriage is generally left intact, although a deceitful wife may be given carte blanche to philander.
Men’s Words in Women’s Mouths: Why Misogynous Stereotypes are Humorous in the Old French Fabliaux
July 31, 2012 By
How can misogyny, or any such unabashed and unrepentant diatribe against women, be part of a genre which is largely considered to be comic?
The Manuscript Context of the Middle Dutch Fabliaux
December 6, 2011 By
Busby’s conclusion with regard to Old French fabliaux might just as well apply to Middle Dutch tales: “Reading fabliaux in their manuscript context reveals an important aspect of their significance for early readers or listeners which would otherwise remain concealed.”
The Farce of the Fart – new book offers scandalous plays from medieval France
November 7, 2011 By
They were the sitcoms of their time –– lowbrow comedies that lampooned every serious topic, from sex and relationships to politics and religion
The Uses of Torture and Violence in the Fabliaux: When Comedy Crosses the Line
October 2, 2011 By
The Uses of Torture and Violence in the Fabliaux: When Comedy Crosses the Line Tracy, Larissa Florilegium, vol. 23.2 (2006) Abstract Comic violence is a device used in the Old French fabliaux to mete out just punishments, to castigate transgression, and to amuse a mixed audience for whom violence was all too common. Yet despite […]
The Bad Behaviour of Friars and Women in Medieval Catalan fabliaux and Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
September 24, 2011 By
They perpetrate many deceptions in order to gain a sexual or monetary advantage over their victims and are portrayed as malicious mischief-makers and the protagonists of humorous and smutty stories. Women also feature in these either as deceived victims or as the perpetrators of deception, as they outwit their husbands in order to enjoy their own adulterous affairs.
Turnabout is Fair Play: Cross-Dressing and Female Tricksters in Medieval French Texts
May 22, 2011 By
That’s Not Funny: Comic Forms, Didactic Purpose, and Physical Injury in Medieval Comic Tales
October 1, 2010 By
Comedy, though often seen by the ancients as a lesser form of art, has a certain form and structure that audiences expect. Comedy serves an important social function. It alleviates social fears, draws a community together by defining its values, and often works as a critique of a culture in a non-threatening manner.
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