The Wife of Beith: With a Description of Her Journey to Heaven
Title
The Wife of Beith: With a Description of Her Journey to Heaven
Creator
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400
Publisher
Falkirk: Printed for the Booksellers
Date
ca.1840-1850
Extent
24 pages
15 cm
Identifier
Description
Woodcut #75: Illustration on title-page of the Resurrection showing Jesus Christ rising from the tomb in a burst of light with 4 soldiers displayed in pairs of two on the ground.
Type
poetry
Abstract
Inspired by Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, this tale describes the Wife’s journey after death. As the Wife travels first to hell and then to heaven, she is rejected by the Devil – who does not wish to be harried by her scornful tongue – and then a long number of biblical characters in heaven due to her many earthly transgressions. The Wife’s flyting appalls and shames all of these characters until she ultimately comes before Christ who at first rejects her as well, but then ultimately accepts her when she submits faithfully to him.
Subject
Religion and Morals
Chapbooks - Scotland - Falkirk
Source
Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario
Format
JPEGs and PDF derived from master file, which was scanned from the original book in 24-bit color at 600 dpi in TIFF format using an Epson Expression 10000XL scanner.
Rights
In the public domain; For higher quality reproductions, contact Archival & Special Collections, University of Guelph. libaspc@uoguelph.ca 519-824-4120, Ext. 53413
Language
English
Contributor
Archival and Special Collections, University of Guelph Library, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
Citation
Chaucer, Geoffrey, -1400, “The Wife of Beith: With a Description of Her Journey to Heaven,” Scottish Chapbooks, accessed December 14, 2024, https://scottishchapbooks.lib.uoguelph.ca/items/show/647.