Feminist Critique

Chaucer was definitely a feminist in writing The Knight's Tale and it is no secret. I do not believe it was done on purpose, but Chaucer certainly put forth a feminist stance in his writing as he made Emily appear as more of an object than a human being. I cannot blame Chaucer, however, because that is how people behaved in this time period. Women played an inferior role in society as their purpose was to help make the lives of men easier. Women were possessions in society, and that belief is clearly portrayed in the text.

In society today, we believe that a feminist attitude is inappropriate and has no place in today's world. While I do support the fact that a feminist approach was taken by Chaucer, I do not believe that it was inappropriate or takes away from the overall quality of the text in any way. These were the common beliefs of society at the time, and to criticize Chaucer for his feminist approach is unwarranted because that is what he was taught to believe.