Alfred Thomas 
Reading Women in Late Medieval Europe 
Anne of Bohemia and Chaucer’s Female Audience

Although Chaucer is typically labeled as the ‘Father of English Literature, ‘ evidence shows that his work appealed to Europe and specifically European women. Rereading the Canterbury Tales , Thomas argues that Chaucer imagined Anne of Bohemia, wife of famed Richard II, as an ideal reader, an aspect that came to greatly affect his writing.

About the author

Alfred Thomas is Professor of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. He has published eight books, including, Anne’s Bohemia: Czech Literature and Society (1310-1420); A Blessed Shore: England and Bohemia from Chaucer to Shakespeare; Prague Palimpsest: Writing, Memory, and the City; and Shakespeare, Dissent, and the Cold War.