Speaking Survival: Chaucer Studies and the Discourses of Sexual Assault

This article addresses the discursive perspectives of survivor speech as they inform discussions of Chaucer's rape narratives. Responding to Euan Roger and Sebastian Sobecki's discoveries that the Chaumpaigne release did not address an accusation of rape, I argue that they offer Chaucer scholars a chance to transform our approaches to the poet and the subject of sexual violence. No longer burdened with assessing Chaucer's guilt or Chaumpaigne's victimization, we may adopt, instead, a structural approach, examining how Chaucer's rape narratives reproduce harmful myths about women, sex, and consent that perpetuate assault. The article explores the Reeve's Tale as an example of this approach.

Automated summary

This article examines the discursive perspectives of survivor speech in discussions of Chaucer's rape narratives. It argues that the discoveries by Roger and Sobecki allow Chaucer scholars to reconsider their approach to the poet and the topic of sexual violence. Rather than focusing on Chaucer's guilt or the victimization of the characters, a structural approach is proposed to analyze how Chaucer's rape narratives perpetuate harmful myths about women, sex, and consent. The Reeve's Tale is explored as an example of this approach.