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Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales / Eve Johnson

Swansea University Author: Eve Johnson

  • E-Thesis – open access under embargo until: 9th September 2030

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.70401

Abstract

The works of Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1345-1400)—the so-called ‘Father’ of English—have been subject to a substantial amount of scholarly attention. Both Chaucer and his writings have been celebrated for their contribution to, and influence upon, English literature (especially poetry) and language. Despi...

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Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Kalas, Laura ; Magnani, Roberta
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70401
first_indexed 2025-09-18T16:49:20Z
last_indexed 2025-09-19T14:53:00Z
id cronfa70401
recordtype RisThesis
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Despite this, the influence of the works and ideas of women visionaries on his writings has not been granted the attention it merits and has, indeed, been inexplicably overlooked and/or under-explored within criticism. This thesis aims to expose the importance of the influence of female-coded spirituality on the writings of Chaucer. In order to investigate this, the study engages closely with the work of a range of visionary women&#x2014;such as Julian of Norwich (c.1343-1416), Margery Kempe (1373-c.1440), Mechthild of Hackeborn (d.1298), Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) and the Winchester anchoress who wrote A Revelation of Purgatory (1422)&#x2014;alongside Chaucer&#x2019;s influential text, The Canterbury Tales. The thesis is framed through a feminist theoretical lens, engaging closely with theories which interrogate women&#x2019;s position(s) within Christian religious discourse. Of significant importance to this thesis, moreover, is the work of Sara Ahmed&#x2014;Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others (2006)&#x2014;and Grace Jantzen. Jantzen&#x2019;s Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion (1998) is of particular significance as I explore the tension (and entanglement) of flourishing and death-associated imagery in the texts under scrutiny. This project demonstrates that appreciating the influence of female-coded spirituality&#x2014;which I posit is everywhere apparent in Chaucer&#x2019;s work&#x2014;grants us a greater understanding and appreciation of the complex and entangled nature of both the composition and the transmission of texts and ideas during the medieval period. 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spelling 2025-09-18T17:56:55.4588511 v2 70401 2025-09-18 Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales 3509deeeba7611a99257b0fcd2e3873a Eve Johnson Eve Johnson true false 2025-09-18 The works of Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1345-1400)—the so-called ‘Father’ of English—have been subject to a substantial amount of scholarly attention. Both Chaucer and his writings have been celebrated for their contribution to, and influence upon, English literature (especially poetry) and language. Despite this, the influence of the works and ideas of women visionaries on his writings has not been granted the attention it merits and has, indeed, been inexplicably overlooked and/or under-explored within criticism. This thesis aims to expose the importance of the influence of female-coded spirituality on the writings of Chaucer. In order to investigate this, the study engages closely with the work of a range of visionary women—such as Julian of Norwich (c.1343-1416), Margery Kempe (1373-c.1440), Mechthild of Hackeborn (d.1298), Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) and the Winchester anchoress who wrote A Revelation of Purgatory (1422)—alongside Chaucer’s influential text, The Canterbury Tales. The thesis is framed through a feminist theoretical lens, engaging closely with theories which interrogate women’s position(s) within Christian religious discourse. Of significant importance to this thesis, moreover, is the work of Sara Ahmed—Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others (2006)—and Grace Jantzen. Jantzen’s Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion (1998) is of particular significance as I explore the tension (and entanglement) of flourishing and death-associated imagery in the texts under scrutiny. This project demonstrates that appreciating the influence of female-coded spirituality—which I posit is everywhere apparent in Chaucer’s work—grants us a greater understanding and appreciation of the complex and entangled nature of both the composition and the transmission of texts and ideas during the medieval period. Rather than simply being the products of a patriarchal, patrilineal model, I suggest that Chaucer’s writings draw upon and engage with imagery, language and typology characteristic of works written by visionary women. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK medieval literature, Geoffrey Chaucer, medieval women, medieval women’s writing, female-coded spirituality, medieval religion, medieval devotional literature, The Canterbury Tales, Margery Kempe, Julian of Norwich, A Revelation of Purgatory, Mechthild of Hackeborn, Catherine of Siena, hagiography, anchorites, anchoritic literature, Ancrene Wisse, medieval gardens, the hortus conclusus, Christ’s Passion, medieval emotions, affective piety, Gwerful Mechain, St Gwenfrewi, St Melangell, Ann Griffiths 9 9 2025 2025-09-09 10.23889/SUthesis.70401 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2997-7542 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Kalas, Laura ; Magnani, Roberta Doctoral Ph.D James Pantyfedwen Foundation James Pantyfedwen Foundation 2025-09-18T17:56:55.4588511 2025-09-18T17:45:33.0390030 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - English Literature, Creative Writing Eve Johnson 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2025-09-18T17:54:06.2110617 Output 2933341 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true 2030-09-09T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: The Author, Eve Johnson, 2025. true eng
title Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
spellingShingle Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
Eve Johnson
title_short Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
title_full Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
title_fullStr Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
title_full_unstemmed Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
title_sort Female-coded Spirituality in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
author_id_str_mv 3509deeeba7611a99257b0fcd2e3873a
author_id_fullname_str_mv 3509deeeba7611a99257b0fcd2e3873a_***_Eve Johnson
author Eve Johnson
author2 Eve Johnson
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publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.70401
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hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - English Literature, Creative Writing{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - English Literature, Creative Writing
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description The works of Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1345-1400)—the so-called ‘Father’ of English—have been subject to a substantial amount of scholarly attention. Both Chaucer and his writings have been celebrated for their contribution to, and influence upon, English literature (especially poetry) and language. Despite this, the influence of the works and ideas of women visionaries on his writings has not been granted the attention it merits and has, indeed, been inexplicably overlooked and/or under-explored within criticism. This thesis aims to expose the importance of the influence of female-coded spirituality on the writings of Chaucer. In order to investigate this, the study engages closely with the work of a range of visionary women—such as Julian of Norwich (c.1343-1416), Margery Kempe (1373-c.1440), Mechthild of Hackeborn (d.1298), Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) and the Winchester anchoress who wrote A Revelation of Purgatory (1422)—alongside Chaucer’s influential text, The Canterbury Tales. The thesis is framed through a feminist theoretical lens, engaging closely with theories which interrogate women’s position(s) within Christian religious discourse. Of significant importance to this thesis, moreover, is the work of Sara Ahmed—Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others (2006)—and Grace Jantzen. Jantzen’s Becoming Divine: Towards a Feminist Philosophy of Religion (1998) is of particular significance as I explore the tension (and entanglement) of flourishing and death-associated imagery in the texts under scrutiny. This project demonstrates that appreciating the influence of female-coded spirituality—which I posit is everywhere apparent in Chaucer’s work—grants us a greater understanding and appreciation of the complex and entangled nature of both the composition and the transmission of texts and ideas during the medieval period. Rather than simply being the products of a patriarchal, patrilineal model, I suggest that Chaucer’s writings draw upon and engage with imagery, language and typology characteristic of works written by visionary women.
published_date 2025-09-09T05:29:33Z
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score 11.089572

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