Notes on The Miller's Tale: Fabliau, Deception, and Satire

Understanding the Fabliau Genre

Characteristics: Fabliaux are a genre of medieval French lyrical narratives humorously depicting ordinary life with explicit and often crude realism. They frequently involve trickery, satire, and bodily humor.
Example from Class: An anecdote was shared about a student in a fabliau who, after being asked for a kiss, instead "sticks his ass out the window." The speaker clarified that it was specifically a "butt cheek" that was kissed, noting the sensory details of a potential "smell" or "whiskers." This type of immature but funny scenario is characteristic of the genre, where characters engage in very human, often base, behaviors.
Growth and Bodily Realism: In fabliaux, individuals "do human stuff," having bodies that are subject to "growth" – encompassing all natural, often unrefined, physical aspects of human existence.

The Miller's Tale: Key Characters and Themes

John the Carpenter

Character Description: John is introduced as a "boorish guy" who works as a carpenter. He owns a house and takes in boarders.
Complex Morality: He is described as "sort of awful" because he essentially keeps his wife in a constrained state, likened to being "in jail." Despite this, a "nice thing" about John is revealed when Nicholas proposes the flood plan: John's first thought is for his wife's safety, indicating a degree of care and affection.

The Wife

Attributes: She is depicted as young and beautiful. The description implies her beauty is natural, not due to social standing or class, differentiating her from women who might marry into wealth or status.
Miller's Perspective (Radical for its Time): The Miller (the narrator of this tale) presents a radical viewpoint for the $1400$ s. He suggests that the wife's character is "non-condemnable" and that she can have "illicit sex" while simultaneously being a "saintly person." The Miller's message is that "Both things can be true" – a woman can engage in worldly pleasures and still perform good deeds and hold sincere faith.

Nicholas and His Elaborate Deception

The Plan's Genesis: Nicholas, one of John's boarders, devises a plan to spend a night with John's wife.
Critique of the Plan's Necessity: The speaker humorously points out the ironies of Nicholas's elaborate scheme: "the husband's out of town. Right? Like, you don't need a plan. The husband's out of town. You could do it now." This suggests Nicholas's motivation isn't merely to have sex, but to create an intricate, almost theatrical, deception.
Motivation for Complexity: The plan's complexity is attributed to the idea that it is "less interesting to just have sex than it is to, like, actually have a full night flood" with "provisions." This implies a desire for an extended, dramatic, and perhaps more memorable encounter rather than a simple liaison.

Religious Hypocrisy and Social Commentary

Saint Thomas of Kent: The characters are on a pilgrimage to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas of Kent, a truly sacred figure.
Oath Swearing: The wife swears an oath by Saint Thomas of Kent that she "will have illicit sex" with Nicholas. This creates a striking contrast between the sacred figure and the profane act, highlighting potential religious hypocrisy or a detachment of faith from moral conduct.
Pre-emptive Forgiveness and Bad Faith: The narrative touches on the ethical concept of "bad faith" regarding prayer and sin. The speaker states, "You're not allowed to pray for forgiveness before you commit a sin," providing a hypothetical example: "You can't you can't go, oh, please lord forgive me. I'm such a terrible person. Let me go kill somebody now. Thank you for the forgiveness, god." This condemns the idea of seeking spiritual absolution for an intended future transgression, indicating a lack of genuine remorse.
Post-Sin Piety: After engaging in illicit sex, the wife goes to church and performs "good church work," including "nice prayers" and charitable acts. This reinforces the Miller's radical idea that illicit behavior doesn't necessarily negate a person's capacity for piety, challenging the traditional moral binaries of the time.

The "Flood" Motif and Biblical Parallels

Nicholas's Deception: Nicholas's plan involves convincing John that a great "flood" is coming, requiring elaborate preparations.
Noah's Ark Allusion: The plan directly alludes to the biblical story of Noah's Ark, where Noah is instructed to "build an ark," "get animals," and "Bring two of every animal" to survive a global flood. This connection adds a layer of satire, as Nicholas twists a profound biblical narrative for a mundane, selfish purpose.
Critique of the Biblical Narrative: The speaker interjects with a critical perspective on the literal interpretation of Noah's Ark: "Completely unworkable, utterly insane, but that's alright. It's the bible, but it doesn't make sense." The speaker also highlights the moral implications of the flood, questioning the idea of wiping out "every single one of them except two. Every single kind," calling it "awful" for animal lovers. This provides a cynical, pragmatic view of the biblical story's feasibility and ethics.
Provisions: Nicholas and the wife obtain "provisions for one day" in preparation for this supposed flood, a detail contributing to the farcical nature of the deception.

Ethical and Moral Implications

Complexity of Character: The Miller's Tale, through characters like John and his wife, explores the complexities of human nature, showing individuals as capable of both flawed and redeeming actions. John's possessiveness is balanced by his concern for his wife, and the wife's illicit affairs exist alongside her sincere religious observance.
Chaucerian Satire: The Miller's perspective, especially on religious hypocrisy and the reinterpretation of biblical events for personal gain, represents a form of social commentary and satire common in Chaucer's works.

Conclusion

The lecture segment concludes by noting that Nicholas's plan is both "trivial and frivolous" yet impactful, leading to a "turning of the record" rather than a mere trivial outcome, suggesting significant consequences to be discussed further.