In April 1859, at age fifty, Shinohara Chūemon left his old life behind. Chūemon, a well-off farmer in his home village, departed for the new port city of Yokohama, where he remained for the next fourteen years. There, as a merchant trading with foreigners in the aftermath of Japan’s 1853 “opening” to the West, he witnessed the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate, the civil war that followed, and the Meiji Restoration’s reforms. The Merchant’s Tale looks through Chūemon’s eyes at the upheavals of this period. In a narrative history rich in colorful detail, Simon Partner uses the story of an ordinary merchant farmer and its Yokohama setting as a vantage point onto sweeping social transformation and its unwitting agents. Chūemon, like most newcomers to Yokohama, came in search of economic opportunity. His story sheds light on vital issues in Japan’s modern history, including the legacies of the Meiji Restoration; the East Asian treaty port system; and the importance of everyday life—food, clothing, medicine, and hygiene—for national identity. Centered on an individual, The Merchant’s Tale is also the story of a place. Created under pressure from aggressive foreign powers, Yokohama was the scene of gunboat diplomacy, a connection to global markets, the birthplace of new lifestyles, and the beachhead of Japan’s modernization. Partner’s history of a vibrant meeting place humanizes the story of Japan’s revolutionary 1860s and their profound consequences for Japanese society and culture.

Unlock the more straightforward side of The Merchant’s Tale with this concise and insightful summary and analysis! This engaging summary presents an analysis of The Merchant’s Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, which centres on marriage, a common theme running through The Canterbury Tales, as the old Januarie weds – and is eventually cuckolded by – the young and beautiful Maye. The Tale shares many features with the bawdy, humorous fabliau, although it also stands out from this genre with its refined setting, noble characters and sophisticated style. Geoffrey Chaucer was the author of The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories which is one of the earliest known examples of English-language literature and has been a key influence on subsequent generations of writers. Find out everything you need to know about The Merchant’s Tale in a fraction of the time! This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you: • A complete plot summary • Character studies • Key themes and symbols • Questions for further reflection Why choose BrightSummaries.com? Available in print and digital format, our publications are designed to accompany you on your reading journey. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time. See the very best of literature in a whole new light with BrightSummaries.com!

Second Edition A historical romance set in pre-Regency England, where our hero strives to rescue a courageous yet powerless lady from forced marriage. There is sword-play, humour and a denouement tasty enough to satisfy even the most demanding romantic appetite. “…written with pace and verve, and a wry, energetic sense of bonhomie.” “…one of the few books that I would rate as coming close to Georgette Heyer…” “If you like Jane Austen…you’ll like this.”

The classic respected series in a stunning new design. This edition of The Merchant's Prologue and Tale from the highly-respected Selected Tales series includes the full, complete text in the original Middle English, along with an in-depth introduction by Maurice Hussey, detailed notes and a comprehensive glossary.

Money is the root of all evil... St Frideswide’s Fair is a great annual event in Oxford, bringing together merchants and buyers from all over England and Wales, and from as far away as Flanders and France. Yet the earnings from the fair, granted to the Priory of St Frideswide centuries before, are resented by the town, and resentment can easily turn to violence. Under the unscrupulous Prior de Hungerford, even more trouble is brewing, and Nicholas Elyot is warned by intelligencer Alice Walsea that attendance at the fair may be used for something more sinister. When a merchant from Flanders is attacked and an English traitor is murdered, can Nicholas disentangle the crimes hidden under cover of the fair? A gripping medieval mystery and espionage thriller, ideal for readers of David Penny, Candace Robb and Michael Jecks.

"The study then considers the treatment of rape and ravishment in a range of literary genres: in hagiography, female saints are repeatedly threatened with rape; the stories of Lucretia and Helen underpin legendary history; the acts of rape and ravishment challenge and shape chivalric order in romance; otherworldly rapes result in the conception of romance heroes. The final two chapters examine the ways in which Malory and Chaucer write and rewrite rape and ravishment."--BOOK JACKET.

Examines the life and writings of Geoffrey Chaucer, including detailed synopses of his works, explanations of literary terms, character portraits, social and historical influences, and more.

The essays gathered in this volume, organized around the theme of medieval literature, display a great range of subjects and of critical approaches. One third of the pieces deal with Chaucer: his use of mythology, his characters, narrative techniques, his treatment of courtly love. Other contributions focus on medieval proverbs and ballads, medieval use of classical authors, John Gower, Lydgate, Icelandic saga, the Middle Scots poets, problems of teaching medieval drama in twentieth-century classrooms, French influences on Middle English literature, and the tale of Robin Hood.