1. Gittes, Katharine.  Framing the Canterbury Tales.  New York: Greenwood Press, 1991. [Ricky Chon]

This text explains how exactly hard it is to classify tales by a set of rules.  Nothing can be predetermined in a certain way every time.  In the case of the Franklin's Tale, the author states that it could "belong to the chivalric group" or the "Breton Lais".  Too many aspects conflict within Chaucer's tales and overlap to be one specific thing.  It shows the complexity of the type of writings that Chaucer does.  One constant theme is how there is no solution as this story, Franklin's Tale, does not end the whole synapse of the tales. 

2. Knight, Stephen. “Rhetoric and Poetry in the Franklin’s Tale.” Chaucer Review 4.1 (1969): 14-30. [Iris McClead]

      In Knight’s article, the writer explains how Chaucer’s use of rhetoric as well as exploring the aesthetic dimension on his well-planned usage of form and meter makes him a great poet, who is self-conscious of the purpose of his medium. Knight uses critics such as Phyllis Hodgson as scholarly support in the analysis of Chaucer’s use of rhetoric, but also textual evidence on how different rhetoric and style present different characters, which correspond to their personalities or mental states. Some examples of the support he uses in this argument is how Chaucer uses varying and emotional styles to depict Dorigen’s psychology in the form of the poetry as well as a sing-song rhyme effect for the magician to express a “mumbo-jumbo” attitude, but most importantly the “jerky” style used for the blunt Franklin. According to the writer, because Chaucer consciously formed his poetry and rhetoric to be consistent with the characters that this craftiness makes him a great poet, who despite arguments of rhetoricians that Chaucer was well-learned in rhetoric as well. 
       The argument Knight presents is very well-organized and convincing, but since he does not fully explain certain terms and rhetorical devices it was confusing for the reader to correspond his argument with the evidence in a few instances; however, overall, it is well-presented and I agree that this conscious use of poetic style to reflect the characters is one characteristic of a good poet; however, this article was not very interesting even if it was informal.

3. Lee, Anne Thompson. “A Woman True and Fair: Chaucer’s Portrayal of Dorigen in the Franklin’s Tale.” Chaucer Review 19.2 (1984): 169-178. [Iris McClead]

      Lee analyzes how the Franklin portrays and sympathizes with Dorigen, but also shows how Chaucer falters when he uses unsuitable rhetorical devices for the type of character he is portraying. The writer uses examples from the text such as how Dorigen never asked Arveragus for sovereignty in marriage, but also how she shows him respect by calling him “Sire” displaying humility. The writer argues how Dorigen’s strength comes from her love for her husband and challenges notions from other articles that present Dorigen as an over-dramatic child-like character by using secondary sources from books that examine the psychology of youth that explain Dorigen’s nature as being rational and conventional. The writer also supports her argument that Franklin uses Dorigen’s wish or promise she makes to Aurelius displays that she is a faithful and devoted wife, whose thoughts are preoccupied with the safety of her husband; however, the writer argues that the event where Dorigen begins to moan and even consider suicide as she recalls women from the past, who committed suicide from the loss of love, is problematic because it is inconsistent with her earlier portrayal and she labels the “Complaint” as a failure and tries to explain the possibility that the Franklin could have simply ran out of ideas on how to make his character more sympathetic. I do not agree with this argument because this assumption is not supported well at all and the writer’s use of psychology as evidence is not convincing to the reader because it only shows the opinions of experts that are no longer applicable. Also, the reader doesn’t consider the fact that Chaucer’s setting is very different from ours today. She applies modern-day concepts to the past, which weakens her argument. Overall, this argument was not strong and the one typo I found was really irritating even though it has nothing to do with her argument. 

4. McEntire, Sandra J. “Illusions and Interpretation in the Franklin’s Tale.” Chaucer Review 31.2 (1996): 145-163. [Iris McClead]

     McEntire’s article analyzes the intentions of the storyteller Franklin as well as Chaucer’s discussion of the author’s function and responsibility as an artist when creating either an illusion or truth by using the Franklin’s Tale as a mode of knowledge. By using textual examples from the tale, the writer supports her argument that Chaucer uses the tale to warn the audience against the misunderstandings that are originated from reading or interpreting carelessly and how the Franklin uses the tale to appeal to all members of the pilgrimage to accomplish his goal of become equal amongst the male pilgrims by appealing to the higher class without offending the lower class. 
     Both Chaucer and Franklin provide their audience with an illusion to accomplish their goals. McEntire uses the prologue as an example of how the Franklin states that he is not educated in rhetoric so his tale will be plain and bare as well as a romance; however, when telling the story the Franklin is well-spoken and his tale is a multi-layered story, which is really a story about the honor of men in disguise as a romance. She also supports this argument by showing how the Franklin reduces Dorigen from a courtly lover and faithful wife to an object, which is passed by the three “honorable” and “generous” men turning the focus away from the romance story. Chaucer’s motives are explained by how Aurelius constructs new meaning from Dorigen’s words by turning “play” into “promise.” By showing the problems that arise from miscommunication or misinterpretation, the writer shows how Chaucer is using his text to show the powers and problems of language and literature and how he is not concerned with issues such as sovereignty in marriage or the honor of men, which is only an illusion he creates to illustrate his intentions. The writer’s idea of using the different illusions created by Franklin and Chaucer were very interesting. Her argument was very coherent and well-supported and causes the reader to reconsider previous opinions and issues that have been made. 

5. Morgan, Gerald. “Experience and the judgment of poetry: a reconsideration of The Franklin's Tale.” Medium Aevum, 70.2 (2001) 204-246. [Tony Liu]

      The argument given in this article lies in the assumption that with a greater understanding of the chivalric code as well as the duties of an obedient wife one would also gain a greater understanding of The Franklin’s Tale. Mr. Gerald Morgan undergoes an analysis of The Franklin’s Tale, various other works of Chaucer, mainly the Canterbury Tales, as well as the historical contexts under which all these tales lie to formulate his ideas. While I agree with the analysis put forth by Morgan I find it a bit, obvious, for lack of a better word. It seems quite clear that one would of course understand a work better if given its historical background, or if given some details about the author and his previous works, it seems a bit of an obvious fact that; given any new relevant information pertaining to the work would increase ones understanding of said work. I found Morgan’s analysis of the title to be quite interesting, his thoughts on the title being a Franklin’s Tale, rather than a squire or knights tale was quite informative about the culture of those times

6. Phillips, Helen. An Introduction to the Canterbury Tales. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000. [Dorothy Nelson]

     The section addressing the Franklin’s Tale first chooses to examine the prologue separately and then the tale.  Phillips highlights some of the controversy of the Franklin’s role in medieval England and leads way into a general discussion of the tale regarding gentility and nobility.  Spending a little more discussion on love and honor, Phillips makes the general claim of the tale being about what happens after the happily ever after part of a marriage and how the black rocks support this idea of marital distress.  Along with the typical issue surrounding love, mastery, and marriage, Phillips makes a somewhat weak appeal to the story being a Breton lai.  Even though Chaucer call’s the Franklin’s Tale a lai, Phillips uses very narrow support to show this.  She relates the tale to those of Marie de France; magic and the mystic play some part and the portrayal of extramarital love as the beginning of a new relationship and not of moral shortcoming.  Phillips only sites these two similarities.
     I would recommend reading Phillips’ comments as the basis for further exploration and reading.  She touches on some of the major ideas often read in the Franklin’s Tale and is easy to follow, however, at times the analysis seems shallow and missing the last step.

7. Pitcher, John A. "'Word and werk’ in Chaucer’s Franklin’s Tale." Literature and Psychology 49.1-2 (2003): 77-109. [Dorothy Nelson]

     Pitcher takes a very intrigue approach to the question of who was the most generous, or rather, who was the master in the Franklin’s Tale.  He claims that it is the magician and then proceeds to discuss the role of desire within the tale.  Courtly love cannot properly explain the text and desire is driving force within the story, it is an object: Aurelius’ for Dorigen, Dorigen for the infidelity.  The link between eroticism with transgression is key in that unless the desire is somehow forbidden, it is not erotic and therefore no longer desirable.  This explains why Aurelius refuses Dorigen when he learns that Arveragus demanded Dorigen fulfill her promise.  Pitcher goes so far as to say that Dorigen realizes her fantasy to congress with Aurelius and how contradictory it is of her self-image of faithful wife and that is why she conceals her desire within a rash promise she never thought to fulfill.  Her desire was subconscious but surfaces during her dramatic suicidal debate.  “Unable either to embrace or to reject Aurelius, Dorigen fears him, or the desire he threatens to awaken in her; and yet she delivers herself to him under the guise of an absolute obedience…”  Pitcher certainly takes a different spin on love and desire within the Franklin’s Tale, however, he seems to take an idea and run a little too far with it.  To say that Dorigen secretly desires Aurelius neglects the role of honor and one’s word within medieval society.  A very thought provoking essay indeed and worth pondering.

8. Schildgen, Brenda Deen.  Pagans, Tartars, Moslems, and Jews in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.   Gainsville, FL: The University Press of Florida, 2001. [Ricky Chon]

Franklin's Tale was a romance in the Briton setting.  This book helped show that this story employs non-Christian values, as Pagan values were more sought after in these texts.  The Pagan values in his writings were reawakened as he constantly used the Roman names (for example Armoirca, the Roman name).  The Franklin in the story explains this promise of how in the relationship there is this need to obey to keep it going.  These promises are rash and broken because certain activities the Franklin believes certain practices are outdated and barbaric.  This text mostly arose the comparison between the Wife of the Bath and Franklin's Tale that holds the Pagan values and the issues that arise.

9. Smith, Warren S. “Dorigen’s Lament and the Resolution of The Franklin’s Tale.” The Chaucer Review 36.4 (2002): 374-390. [Tony Liu]

      Mr. Warren S. Smith uses the contents of The Franklin’s Tale to further an argument he made in 1997 against St. Jerome’s views on marriage and virginity. Smith views Dorigen’s Lament as a somewhat satirical attack on the hardliner views of St. Jerome. During her Lament Dorigen uses many of the examples in St. Jerome’s piece; Against Jovinian. However, Dorigen uses them in an exaggerated context, making the martyred virgins and wives seem even more akin to tragic heroines and in the end, when Dorigen chooses not to follow the same path as these same women it seems a further insult to the arguments of St. Jerome that; a woman’s chastity should be defended to the death. Smith uses a close reading of both the pieces and compares the two with added references from his earlier work on The Wife of Bath. I read Dorigen’s Lament differently from Smith. While I find his argument compelling, I didn’t recognize the figures that Dorigen listed as those from Against Jovinian, I myself having never read that piece, and thusly I first interpreted her soliloquy as simply a cry for attention. I found Dorigen to be a somewhat egotistical woman and interpreted her speech as simply another way to attract attention to herself. One thing I found most interesting about Smith’s argument was the extent to which Chaucer had changed some of St. Jerome’s stories to create not only a more dramatic scene but sometimes a completely new context altogether.