The Good Wife of Bath

by Karen Brooks

When I read Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale in college, I never imagined hearing the tale retold from the wife’s perspective. Brooks invites the reader to reconsider the tale if told from Eleanor/Alyson’s perspective instead of a man’s perspective. In fact, we’re asked to reconsider much of ancient history since it’s been written by men. And as we know, “history is always written by the winners.”  Both versions of the story ask us to consider the central question: what do women want? In Chaucer’s medieval version, women are painted as deceptive, devious, manipulative instruments of the devil who need men for their vastly superior intelligence and morals. In Brooks' version, The Wife of Bath is an intelligent, clever businesswoman who challenges the status quo and is driven by her desire for autonomy over her own life. In both stories, The Wife of Bath is a memorable woman who’s not afraid to speak her mind.