crepitus
04-22-2007, 8:57 AM
The Miller’s Prologue and Tale (The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer)
Thus, the Miller begins his tale.
John, an old and very jealous carpenter who is married to an 18-year-old girl named Alison, rents a room to a young astrology student named Nicholas, who can supposedly forecast the likelihood of rain showers or drought. Nicholas soon falls in love with Alison and one day grasps her around the groins and cries, “Love me all-at-once or I shall die.” At first Alison resists, but the clerk soon overcomes her resistance, and together they conceive a plan whereby they will play a trick on the jealous husband.
Alison also has another admirer—Absalon, an effeminate incense swinger at the church. Very dainty and fastidious, Absalon is, in fact, so fastidious that he cannot tolerate people who expel gas in public. Although Absalon demonstrates his feelings for Alison by serenading her outside her bedroom window, she finds him a nuisance and is interested only in Nicholas, who conceives an elaborate plan to get John out of the house for the night.
Nicholas convinces John that the town is soon to be visited with a flood like the one that visited Noah in the Bible and that, to survive, he must build and fasten three boat-like tubs to the rafters and store within them provisions. John follows Nicholas’ instructions, and the evening before the predicted flood, all three—John the carpenter; Alison, John’s wife, and Nicholas, Alison’s paramour—climb into the boats. When the carpenter sleeps, Alison and Nicholas quickly descend to Alison’s bed where they spend the night making love.
Later that night, Absalon, discovering the Miller’s absence, goes to Alison’s window. Denied access to her room, he begs for one kiss. Afraid that the bothersome clerk will arouse the neighbors, Alison agrees to kiss him, but instead of her mouth, she extends her rear out the window. The fastidious Absalon “kissed her naked arse, most savorously.” As he leaves, Absalon overhears the young lovers laughing at him.
Cured of his love sickness, Absalon borrows a red-hot poker from the blacksmith, returns to Alison’s window, and tells her he has a golden ring for her: “I’ll give it to you for one more kiss.” But Nicholas, trying to one-better Alison’s treatment of Absalon, opens the window instead and “stuck out his arse … buttocks and all” and farts in Absalon’s face. Absalon recovers quickly and thrusts the red-hot poker up the middle of Nicholas’ arse.
Nicholas shouts, “Water, help, Water, Water,” startling John from his sleep. Thinking that the flood is coming, John cuts the rope that holds his boat suspended and crashes to the floor. The neighbors, hearing all the ruckus, rush in and, when they hear of John’s preparations for a flood, laugh at his lunacy.
Comments;
A more obvious example of incongruity is the scene between Absalon and Alison at her window. Absalon, the incense thrower, is accustomed to smells that are sweet, exotic, and sensuous. He is effeminate, delicate, fastidious, and yet he is subjected to the ultimate humiliation when Alison presents her “arse” to be kissed and Absalon does so.
Absalon’s name is that of King David’s beloved and beautiful but disloyal son, and Absalon’s vocation as an incense-swinger is also comically relevant. As noted earlier, Absalon is a man “squeamish of farting,” one who perfumes his breath and person to make himself attractive—the incongruity of a man scenting his breath as a prelude to kissing a woman’s “arse” is comically inappropriate even though it defies analysis.
Anyone know any more mainstream novels that have this ???? ....
Thus, the Miller begins his tale.
John, an old and very jealous carpenter who is married to an 18-year-old girl named Alison, rents a room to a young astrology student named Nicholas, who can supposedly forecast the likelihood of rain showers or drought. Nicholas soon falls in love with Alison and one day grasps her around the groins and cries, “Love me all-at-once or I shall die.” At first Alison resists, but the clerk soon overcomes her resistance, and together they conceive a plan whereby they will play a trick on the jealous husband.
Alison also has another admirer—Absalon, an effeminate incense swinger at the church. Very dainty and fastidious, Absalon is, in fact, so fastidious that he cannot tolerate people who expel gas in public. Although Absalon demonstrates his feelings for Alison by serenading her outside her bedroom window, she finds him a nuisance and is interested only in Nicholas, who conceives an elaborate plan to get John out of the house for the night.
Nicholas convinces John that the town is soon to be visited with a flood like the one that visited Noah in the Bible and that, to survive, he must build and fasten three boat-like tubs to the rafters and store within them provisions. John follows Nicholas’ instructions, and the evening before the predicted flood, all three—John the carpenter; Alison, John’s wife, and Nicholas, Alison’s paramour—climb into the boats. When the carpenter sleeps, Alison and Nicholas quickly descend to Alison’s bed where they spend the night making love.
Later that night, Absalon, discovering the Miller’s absence, goes to Alison’s window. Denied access to her room, he begs for one kiss. Afraid that the bothersome clerk will arouse the neighbors, Alison agrees to kiss him, but instead of her mouth, she extends her rear out the window. The fastidious Absalon “kissed her naked arse, most savorously.” As he leaves, Absalon overhears the young lovers laughing at him.
Cured of his love sickness, Absalon borrows a red-hot poker from the blacksmith, returns to Alison’s window, and tells her he has a golden ring for her: “I’ll give it to you for one more kiss.” But Nicholas, trying to one-better Alison’s treatment of Absalon, opens the window instead and “stuck out his arse … buttocks and all” and farts in Absalon’s face. Absalon recovers quickly and thrusts the red-hot poker up the middle of Nicholas’ arse.
Nicholas shouts, “Water, help, Water, Water,” startling John from his sleep. Thinking that the flood is coming, John cuts the rope that holds his boat suspended and crashes to the floor. The neighbors, hearing all the ruckus, rush in and, when they hear of John’s preparations for a flood, laugh at his lunacy.
Comments;
A more obvious example of incongruity is the scene between Absalon and Alison at her window. Absalon, the incense thrower, is accustomed to smells that are sweet, exotic, and sensuous. He is effeminate, delicate, fastidious, and yet he is subjected to the ultimate humiliation when Alison presents her “arse” to be kissed and Absalon does so.
Absalon’s name is that of King David’s beloved and beautiful but disloyal son, and Absalon’s vocation as an incense-swinger is also comically relevant. As noted earlier, Absalon is a man “squeamish of farting,” one who perfumes his breath and person to make himself attractive—the incongruity of a man scenting his breath as a prelude to kissing a woman’s “arse” is comically inappropriate even though it defies analysis.
Anyone know any more mainstream novels that have this ???? ....