For many critics, her prologue and tale redeem any negative depiction of women in Chaucer’s other work, using her as the ultimate proof of his empathy with women. On the surface, it is easy to see how the Wife is interpreted this way: she openly speaks of her sexual experiences and constantly announces how much she loves sex, she turns texts associated with male authority on their heads, and proudly boasts how she had attained sovereignty over all five of her husbands. Thus it appears to the modern reader that the Wife takes revenge on the previous portrayals of the women in the Tales; however, while she may denounce the medieval misogynistic stereotype of women, she does not practice what she preaches. Not only does she embody the stereotype, she also adheres to the very patriarchal power she condemns. The contradiction between what she says and what she does, not to mention the moral of her tale, completely disqualifies her as some sort of radical medieval
For many critics, her prologue and tale redeem any negative depiction of women in Chaucer’s other work, using her as the ultimate proof of his empathy with women. On the surface, it is easy to see how the Wife is interpreted this way: she openly speaks of her sexual experiences and constantly announces how much she loves sex, she turns texts associated with male authority on their heads, and proudly boasts how she had attained sovereignty over all five of her husbands. Thus it appears to the modern reader that the Wife takes revenge on the previous portrayals of the women in the Tales; however, while she may denounce the medieval misogynistic stereotype of women, she does not practice what she preaches. Not only does she embody the stereotype, she also adheres to the very patriarchal power she condemns. The contradiction between what she says and what she does, not to mention the moral of her tale, completely disqualifies her as some sort of radical medieval