The Legend of Good Women

Chaucer, Geoffrey (c.1343–1400), translated by Kline, A.S., (contact-email)

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Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Legend of Good Women is ranked as his third most extensive work. Dating the poem is challenging due to its distinct legends, but it is typically placed around 1386/1388, chronologically situated between Chaucer’s other major works, The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. Noteworthy for its early use of iambic pentameter, the poem is a foundational text that likely influenced this metrical form’s prevalence in English literature. This metric choice, notably the decasyllabic couplet, marked a significant departure from previous poetic styles, forecasting its prolific use in The Canterbury Tales and cementing its place in the English literary tradition.

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Kline, A.S.,

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