many other religious tales of the 14th century. These
include several Canterbury tales, such as “The MAN OF
LAW’S TALE,” “The Clerk’s Tale,” “The Second Nun’s
Tale,” and, to some extent, “The PARDONER’S TALE.”
Each of these tales highlights the themes of travel, suf-
fering, and reward. In “The Prioress’ Tale,” for exam-
ple, the theme of travel is refl ected in the boy’s journey
through the Jewish ghetto to his school; the theme of
suffering is underscored by his death and the agony
experienced by his mother; the reward is brought
when the seed is removed and the boy goes to heaven.
It can also be linked to the genre of EXEMPLUM, particu-
larly illustrating the moral “mordre wol out” (l. 576)—
murder will be revealed. The tale’s religious affi liations
are further strengthened by its continual reference to
prayer: It opens with an invocation, refers to a hymn
throughout, and also contains several instances of
prayer-like interruptions by the narrator (e.g., “O mar-
tir sowded to virginitee.. .,” l. 579).
“The Prioress’s Tale” also shares other important
themes with the tales of the Clerk and Physician, such
as parenthood and children, for example. The social
turmoil following the BLACK DEATH—including the
increase in child mortality rates—is revealing in “The
Prioress’s Tale,” rendered even more poignant through
the widow’s extreme grief and her social class. She is
often compared to the Virgin Mary, as a humble earthly
representation of the mater dolorosa (grieving mother).
Reading “The Prioress’s Tale” with these themes in mind
reveals the greater complex nature of medieval society
and Chaucer’s attempt at tackling stark realities.
FURTHER READING
Gies, Frances and Joseph. Marriage and the Family in the
Middle Ages. New York: HarperRow Publishers, 1989.
Rubin, Miri. Gentile Tales: The Narrative Assault on Late Medi-
eval Jews. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1999.
Schildgen, Brenda Deen. Pagans, Tartars, Moslems, and Jews
in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Gainesville: University Press
of Florida, 2001.
Carola Mattord
PUTTENHAM, GEORGE (ca. 1520–1590)
George Puttenham, purported author of the highly
infl uential treatise The Art of English Poesie, was born
into a genry family from Hampshire. Little is known of
his life. He married the twice-widowed Elizabeth Cou-
dray with whom he had at least one daughter. He may
also have been involved in a plot against Lord Burleigh
in 1570, as he was imprisoned in 1578, though released
in 1585. He died in 1590.
FURTHER READING
Nash, Walter. “George Puttenham.” The Dictionary of Liter-
ary Biography, Volume 281: British Rhetoricians and Logi-
cians, 1500–1660, 229–248. Detroit, Mich.: Gale, 2003.PYNSON, RICHARD (ca. 1449–1529) printer
An important fi gure in the early years of English print-
ing, Richard Pynson was Norman by birth but lived
and worked in England. He began his printing career
around 1490 out of a shop located in the Strand, out-
side the Temple Bar. He produced his fi rst book late in
1492 and received his patent of naturalization in the
following year. Within a decade, Pynson moved to the
City of London. In 1506, Pynson succeeded William
Faques as printer to the king; he served under both
Henry VII and HENRY VIII.
In the four decades of his career as a printer, Pynson
produced about 400 books; between them, Pynson
and WYNKYN DE WORDE printed two-thirds of all
En glish books from 1490 to 1530. One of Pynson’s
main publishing interests was in law books, for which
he held the sales monopoly. He was also involved in
the production of popular literary works, including
GEOFFREY CHAUCER’s The CANTERBURY TALES (1492), as
well as devotional texts and hagiographies. Overall,
Pynson successfully balanced his offi cial status with
commercial considerations and, in so doing, helped to
fi rmly establish the printing press in England.
See also CAXTON, WILLIAM; HAGIOGRAPHY.FURTHER READING
Duff, E. Gordon. A Century of the English Book Trade....
Folcroft, Pa.: Folcroft Library Editions, 1972.
Steinberg, S. H. Five Hundred Years of Printing. Rev. ed. Lon-
don: British Library, 1996.
Christine F. Cooper334 PUTTENHAM, GEORGE