Medieval LOLs: Chaucer's 'Miller's Tale'

Were the Middle Ages funny? Irina Dumitrescu and Mary Wellesley begin their series in quest of the medieval sense of humour with Chaucer’s 'Miller’s Tale', a story that is surely still (almost) as funny as when it was written six hundred years ago. But who is the real butt of the joke? Mary and Irina look in detail at the mechanics of the plot and its needless but pleasurable complexity, and consider the social significance of clothes and pubic hair in the tale.

Find the Close Readings podcast in Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts, or just search 'Close Readings'.

Sign up to the Close Readings subscription to listen to all our series in full:

Directly in Apple Podcasts

In other podcast apps

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.