Valerius ad Rufinum, De non Ducenda Uxore  

From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia

Related e

Wikipedia Wiktionary Shop Featured: Rhombicuboctahedron by Leonardo da Vinci

antifeminist literature of the Middle Ages

Valerius ad Rufinum, De non Ducenda Uxore, ('Valerius to Rufinus, on not being ruled by one's wife') by Valerius

"Skeat seems rather inconsistent with regard to this line He refers Titus to Livy and mentions his story of Lucretia, he takes the reference to Claudian to be to the De Raptu Proserpinae, and he attributes the “Valerie” in the line to Valerius ad Rufinum de non ducenda uxore. He then classes all three as writers against women, thus making it Chaucer’s argument that even those who wrote against women had to admit that some were good. But neither Livy nor Claudian can be said to write against women. The context where “Valerie” occurs in the Wife of Bath's Prologue, which Skeat cites in corroboration, shows certainly that Chaucer is referring there to Valerius ad Rufinum. But it by no means follows that the “Valerie” in the Prologue to the Legend of Good Women is the same 1 Lounsbury 2 takes “Valerie” in the Prologue to be Valerius Maximus But his Facta et Dicta Memorabilia treats of women only incidentally and of almost none who is famous in history or literature. Such accounts as he gives are told in the barest outline, with the purpose of illustrating the abstract virtues which his epitome aims to set forth. Lounsbury cites Claudian’s Laus Serenae, which it is most reasonable to suppose Chaucer had in mind here instead of the De Raptu Proserpinae, for I believe that Chaucer means to refer to those who have praised women, particularly for steadfastness in love If this is true, then “Valerie” must refer to Valerius Flaccus, who in the Argonauticon treats of two women faithful in love, to both of whom Chaucer has given places in the Legend of Good Women. The story of Hypsipyle and Jason is found in Book ii, and that of Medea and Jason in Book vu of the Argonauticon." --Chaucer and the Roman Poets (1929) by Edgar Finley Shannon

See also

• Tyrannius Rufinus