Farrell, Thomas J. “Privacy and the Boundaries of Fabliau in The Miller's Tale.”

Farrell, Thomas J. “Privacy and the Boundaries of Fabliau in The Miller's Tale.” ELH: A Journal of English Literary History 56.4(1989): 773-795.

Farrell begins by examining the key features of the genre of the fabliau. He focuses on the atmosphere of privacy constructed by both the setting and the characters in fabliau, the trickery and self-servitude generally displayed by the characters, and the common lack of a dispensation of justice at the end. Farrell then goes on to examine whether “The Miller’s Tale fits the description of a fabliau. He argues that while much of the tale offers convincing evidence for classifying it as a fabliau, it moves toward being something more by the end of the tale as the character’s actions are no longer completely private and there is an apparent dispensation of justice. In an effort to make sense of these elements, Farrell places “The Miller’s Tale” alongside “The Knight’s Tale.” “The Knight’s Tale,” he says, is concerned with finding justice and order in the universe but because of the manner in which it ends, it is more indicative of a chaotic universe in which justice cannot be assured. On the other hand, because of its movement away from the fabliau genre at its end, “The Miller’s Tale” finds the justice that is lacking in “The Knight’s Tale.”

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