In The Canterbury Tales, supposedly a collection of tales told by a group of pilgrims on their way to the Canterbury Cathedral, Geoffrey Chaucer tries to present a cross-section of the medieval society which is essentially male-dominated. In addition to the inclusion of members from the distinct social estates: the nobility, the clergy and the laborers, Chaucer allows three female pilgrims to take part in the story-telling competition. In most medieval male discourses, women are in inferior positions and are defined in their relations to men. They are either praised for their physical beauty or their virginity, or reviled as temptresses who could ruin men. In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer takes the unprecedented action in experimenting with female voice. By giving striking personalities to the three female pilgrims/tale-tellers—namely the Wife of Bath, the Prioress, and the Second Nun—and by allowing them voice for self-representation, Chaucer challenges various discourses surrounding femininity. The inclusion of female voice not only shows women’s autonomy but also challenges and questions the legitimacy of male domination and female subordination.
