The inquiry into whether or not Geoffrey Chaucer was ahead of his time in terms of his views on feminism has been debated for years. hundreds of years. The prologue to The Wife of Bath is just a solitary example of the complex nature of Chaucer's belief system. On one hand, we have many strong female characters who, while still extremely dependent on the men in their lives, know what they want in life. From a contrasting perspective, readers see a group of men, including Chaucer in the role of the writer himself, mocking the very nature of women as a whole. Is this really how Chaucer felt about women, or is the prologue to The Wife of Bath's Tale simply a parody of the views of his time? When questioning Chaucer's position on feminism, one must remember that feminism is a fairly contemporary term. The word "feminism" did not appear in the English language until the 1890s (dictionary.com). The world around Chaucer must also be taken into account when thinking about his possible thoughts on women. While it is true that many writers have supported women's rights, it is also true to say that there are many who have not supported women's rights. An example of this would be John Gower, who was a known friend of Chaucer, who wrote a poem called Confessio Amantis. Each chapter of this poem was based on one of the seven deadly sins, but also centered around a relationship he had with a woman (2013). This work, much like Chaucer's, is a morality tale, seeking to impart a life lesson to those who read his stories. In the diversity of the plethora of characters present in the various stories of The Canterbury Tales, it is easy to see that at the very least, Chaucer was a...... middle of paper ......ucer a anti-feminist? It could be that he was simply trying to get his point across and inadvertently touched on a sensitive topic for modern-day feminists. It could also be that this story was not entirely written by Chaucer. Although this concept is less accepted by scholars, it should still be considered as an option when dealing with a literary work that has been around as long as The Canterbury Tales. Despite all the controversy surrounding Chaucer's work and his worldview, some things can be very clear. No matter how much time has passed since these stories were first written, they have managed to stand the test of time and still ring true today. Additionally, the feminist movement is stronger today than it has ever been. Alyson would have integrated quite well into this current society.