Chaucer's conversion

Book Description

In this fascinating exploration of medieval spirituality and literary transformation, scholar Heiner Gillmeister presents a compelling theory about Geoffrey Chaucer's spiritual journey through careful analysis of the poet's work "Truth." The investigation begins with an intriguing linguistic discovery: a wordplay hidden within the poem's envoy that reveals deeper layers of meaning about personal transformation and religious awakening.

Gillmeister demonstrates how Chaucer embedded a sophisticated pun within his verse, using the French form of his own name to create a palindrome that translates to "leave cow." This clever linguistic device, the author argues, represents Chaucer's call to himself to abandon his former way of life and embrace spiritual renewal. The scholar suggests this reflects the poet's actual conversion experience and subsequent entry into the Benedictine monastic order.

Drawing upon medieval Biblical interpretation, Gillmeister connects Chaucer's symbolic use of cattle imagery to traditional religious allegory, where cows leaving Philistine territory represented monks and religious seekers journeying toward spiritual enlightenment. The book proposes that Chaucer spent his final years living within Westminster Abbey's precincts as a Benedictine, ultimately finding his resting place in what would become known as Poets' Corner.

This scholarly work offers readers interested in spiritual transformation a unique perspective on how medieval writers encoded their personal religious experiences within their literary creations, revealing the profound connection between artistic expression and spiritual awakening.