Chaucer's Conversion

The question of whether the medieval «secular» poem was capable of receiving a figurative or allegorical interpretation, quite distinct from its surface meaning, is reconsidered by looking afresh at Chaucer's most intriguing short poem, the ballad Truth, which is conceived of as a poème à clef. Identification of the ultimate source of its imagery, 1 Samuel 6, leads to a discussion of how allegorical interpretations assigned to the biblical narrative by the medieval exegete could have affected the poet's life and work. In this issue, an important rôle is played by medieval linguistic theory. As a consequence, a great deal of attention is given to one linguistic discipline, medieval name lore, and an attempt is made to show how, by an allegorical interpretation of his own name, Chaucer was led to «revise» both his life and his literary work.