The statement that the fox in Chaucer's Nun's Priest's Tale breaks through a hedge to penetrate Chauntec1eer's barnyard would seem to conflict with the earlier description of the barnyard as surrounded by a fence and a dry ditch. The apparent anomaly may be resolved, however, if we recognize that breaking through hedges could be a conventional activity for a fox, not necessarily linked to the topography of a particular expedition. Such a possibility is suggested by the name Percehaie ‘hedge breaker’ of Renart's son in Le Roman de Renart, one of the sources for Chaucer's tale. - [Abstract]

Language: English