The Canterbury Fails A Talk of Ten Wives on their Husbands' Ware
Mar 12, 2022
Join the hosts as they dive into a hilariously raunchy medieval poem mocking husbands' shortcomings, filled with endless penis jokes. They explore metaphors from ten wives that escalate in absurdity, revealing the poem's cheeky tone. The hosts analyze its manuscript context and how it mixes sacred with profane. They taste a themed cocktail, linking its disappointment to the poem's messages about pleasure and power dynamics. Finally, they ponder whether the laughter it evokes serves to subvert or reinforce misogyny.
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Parade Of Diminishing Wares
- The poem stages ten women in an alehouse who compete by insulting their husbands' genitalia with ever-worse metaphors.
- The escalating jokes end with the tenth wife declaring her husband's member worth nothing, closing the exchange with an emphatic amen.
Match Drinks Carefully To Theme
- When pairing literature episodes, match a thematically appropriate beverage to enhance the episode's mood.
- But test the combination first: Matt Hussey demonstrates that theme doesn't excuse a bad drink like bourbon with Mountain Dew.
Sex As Economic Commodity
- The poem converts genitalia into commodities using economic language like "wares" and sale value.
- The final stanza denies exchange value by declaring the husband's member "not worth a nay," ending the market metaphor.