2 - Asking Legal Questions in Gower's Confessio Amantis

Summary

One of the most prevalent types of exemplum in the Confessici Amantis is the sin-and-punishment story, of which there are at least sixty examples in the Confessio. Frequency tells us little of course about how punishment is administered. Does the punishment fit the crime? Does punishment resolve the difficulties of the case? The important question, therefore, is how Gower's use of particular narrative models influences his treatment of the law. Specifically, does Gower desire his case to be closed or open-ended; does he preempt interpretation or invite the reader to work out the problems, for instance through casuistic reasoning? This chapter surveys some of the more common strategies Gower uses to integrate law into the amorous and penitential discourses of the Confessio. It suggests that the great advantage of the judicial exemplum is that it can impose a tentative judgment on the difficult case, yet also invite the reader's interaction and participation.

A Few Test Cases

For Gower, every exemplum is a potential casus. In Book 7 of the Confessio, the Tale of the Folly of Rehoboam concludes with Genius arguing for his moral with the words “So mai it proven be this cas” (4134). In Book 3, the gloss to the Tale of Canace and Machaire (at line 145) tells us that Eolus judged (“adiudicauit”) that in this sad case (“dolorosissimo casu”) Canace be put to death (“interrici”).