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Neophilologus (2014) 98:343352
DOI 10.1007/s11061-013-9360-6
Katrin Rupp
Published online: 9 May 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013
Abstract This paper examines the way the BBC adapted Chaucers Millers Tale for their 2003 telelm series of six selected Canterbury Tales. Focusing in particular on the two bottom scenes, it will be demonstrated how the BBC translate and adapt these scenes to suit the tastes of the early evening TV spectators by eliminating the most explicit passages found in the medieval source.
Keywords Chaucer Millers Tale BBC Film Obscene
Aired in 2003, the BBCs adaptation of six selected Canterbury Tales1 has received relatively little response from the scholarly community, despite the fact that Chaucers popular appeal in the twenty-rst century has been discussed at large.2 The few critics who have focused on the modernised tales do not go to any length to examine the relationship between the literary model and the lm version. Hartys article (2007) offers mainly a summary of the tales on screen, followed by a brief and rather casual
1 The six tales were aired on BBC1 in the following order: The Millers Tale (11 September 2003), The Wife of Baths Tale (18 September 2003), The Knights Tale (25 September 2003), The Sea Captains Tale (2 October 2003), The Pardoners Tale (9 October 2003), The Man of Laws Tale (16 October 2003), ed. MacKay et al. (2004). The complete series is available on DVD, released in 2004.
2 My wording is borrowed from Ellis (2000), who discusses Chaucer at large. See also Harty (2005) for a discussion of Chaucers impact in the twenty-rst century.
K. Rupp (&)
Charge de cours, Institute of English Studies, University of Neuchtel, Espace Louis-Agassiz 1, 2000 Neuchtel, Switzerlande-mail: [email protected]: www2.unine.ch/anglais
Getting Modern on Alisouns Ass: The BBC and Chaucers Millers Tale
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comparison with the textual source.3 In her article, Forni (2008) summarises each of the six BBC tales and goes on to sketch the main differences between the medieval and the modern versions, but she does not go into any detail either.
In his review of the lms Coren implies that a comparison with the textual models is difcult, if not impossible, when he states with disappointment that its all in modern dress. Not just...