The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks
Even I, absolutely not an English major, recognize the GWoB as a character from Geoffrey Chaucer. Not that I’ve read Chaucer’s original, or know much about it.
The original GWoB is an interesting (and, I gather, difficult) woman. And Chaucer’s rendition of her tale is steeped in 14th century slice of life details.
Brooks takes Chaucer’s original characters and creates her own 21st century version, including the poet himself, characters from his fiction, and fictional versions of historic people, places, and events.
And it was a rollicking time. Pandemic disease. Crime. Civil unrest. War. Two freakin’ Popes at the same time!
And everywhere and at all times, men ruled women.
The difficult GWoB isn’t OK with being ruled. Or at least, she want to choose when to submit and what to submit to. And in 14th century England, that leads to a lot of trouble.
Still, Eleanor outlives five husbands, travels the world, takes many lovers, starts and loses multiple businesses, loses loved ones to disease and violence, and ends up enshrined as an immortal fictional character. “Just an everywoman.” Right.
What about love?
Eleanor has a lot to learn about love. And, bright as she is, she does learn.
Not knowing my Chaucer, I couldn’t evaluate Brooks’ update vis a vis the original. Eleanor and friends are certainly tinged by twenty first century attitudes, which probably don’t reflect any real people from Chaucer’s time. This isn’t exactly history, and it’s not just retelling Chaucer. It’s more Chaucer Fan Fic. Good Fan Fic.
I like this story, even with all the grim realism of violence, death, and injustice. Eleanor is someone I’d like to know in any age.
- Karen Brooks, The Good Wife of Bath, New York, William Morrow, 2022.
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