Abstract This paper analyzes two of Geoffry Chaucer's poems, "The House of Fame" and "The Book of the Duchess", explaining Chaucer's use of parallel embedded narratives, taken from other texts, to promote both his theme as well as to establish the event inspiring each poem.
From the Paper "In both poems, dream visions play a large role in the embedded narratives. In The House of Fame, Dido and Aeneas are the subject of the dream, whereas in The Book of the Duchess, the Dreamer reads the story of the two lovers before falling asleep, in which he proceeds to dream of a parallel story of a Knight who has lost his lady. By using dreams, Chaucer has the advantage of changing the stories to suit his needs. He can reflect reality, but be selective. He can make events happen in no rational order, as they tend to do in dreams. He can introduce strange and comical characters, such as the mysterious dog in The Book of the Duchess and the disciplinary eagle in The House of Fame. He can also interweave his own ideas and beliefs. Essentially, he can use these dream visions as springboards to launch his work into deeper discussions of the real issues he wants to examine by creating a world based on imagination."
