Sexual Violence in History: A Bibliography

compiled by Stefan Blaschke

Contact

+ Contact Form


Search

+ Search Form


Introduction

+ Aims & Scope

+ Structure

+ History


Announcements

+ Updates

+ Calls for Papers

+ New Lectures

+ New Publications


Alphabetical Index

+ Author Index

+ Speaker Index


Chronological Index

+ Ancient History

+ Medieval History

+ Modern History


Geographical Index

+ African History

+ American History

+ Asian History

+ European History

+ Oceanian History


Topical Index

+ Prosecution

+ Cases

+ Types

+ Offenders

+ Victims

+ Society

+ Research

+ Representations


Resources

+ Institutions

+ Literature Search

+ Research

Start: Alphabetical Index: Author Index: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Unknown

First published: October 1, 2025 - Last updated: October 1, 2025

TITLE INFORMATION

Author: Kathy Cawsey

Title: The Grammar of Rape in Chaucer and Gower

Subtitle: -

Journal: Florilegium

Volume: 38: Sexualized and Gendered Violence in the Middle Ages (Edited by Kathy Cawsey)

Issue: -

Year: 2025 (2021) (Published online: August 14, 2025)

Pages: 72-88

pISSN: 0709-5201 - Find a Library: WorldCat | eISSN: 2369-7180 - Find a Library: WorldCat

Language: English

Keywords: Medieval History | European History | Cases: Lucretia, Philomela; Types: Rape; Representations: Literary Texts / Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower



FULL TEXT

Links:
- Project MUSE (Restricted Access)

- University of Toronto Press (Restricted Access)



ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Author: Kathy Cawsey, Department of English, Dalhousie University

Abstract: »As a Past-President of the Canadian Society of Medievalists, I gave the following plenary address at the 2022 annual conference. The address argues that a close analysis of the grammar of Chaucer's and Gower's descriptions of the rapes of Lucretia and Philomena, especially paying attention to the positioning of the audience through that grammar, shows that while Gower is interested in the audience experiencing pity for the raped women, Chaucer, by grammatically forcing the audience to experience the same emotions as the raped women, encourages empathy. Since I presented this paper, two new Chaucer life records have been discovered; consequently, I have changed the beginning.« (Source: Florilegium)

Wikipedia: History of Europe: History of England / England in the Late Middle Ages | Literature: English literature / Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower | Literature: Fiction about rape | Confessio Amantis, The Legend of Good Women | Myth: Classical mythology / Lucretia, Philomela | Sex and the law: Rape / History of rape