Chaucer the Alchemist

The secrets of nature's alchemy captivated both the scientific and literary imagination of the Middle Ages. This book explores Chaucer's fascination with earth's mutability. Gabrovsky reveals that his poetry represents a major contribution to a medieval worldview centered on the philosophy of physics, astronomy, alchemy, and logic.

This is a highly valuable and essential study for scholars interested in the depth and breadth of Chaucer's sophisticated use of medieval science and philosophy, which takes our understanding of the philosophical poet to new heights. (Shazia Jagot, Speculum, Vol. 95 (1), January, 2020)

Alexander N. Gabrovsky's book is an important study into the role of alchemy and transmutation in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer and fourteenth-century scientific thought. Gabrovsky provides important insights about the relationship between medieval alchemy and physics and how it affects the reading of medieval literature. the book is especially useful for considering the role of alchemy and science in Chaucer's works and its impact upon character development and the imagination. (Curtis Runstedler, Ambix, Vol. 65 (04), September, 2018)

Autorentext

Alexander N. Gabrovsky holds a PhD in Medieval Literature from Cambridge University, UK and received an MD from VCU School of Medicine, USA. He specializes in alchemical manuscripts, paleopathology, and the history of occult and natural philosophy in the Middle Ages. He has published various journal articles related to disease in mummies, the medical field, history of art and medieval cryptography. He is a physician in Kansas City, USA.

Inhalt

PART I: PHYSICS 1. Introduction: Chaucer's Sublunar Region of Mutable Forms 2. Thought Experiments in Geffrey's Dream: The Poetics of , Measurement, and Relativity in the PART II: ALCHEMY 3. Alchemical Allegory and Transformative Action in the 4. 'As licour out of a lambyc ful faste': Love and Alchemy in PART III: LOGIC 5. Counterfactual Conditionals in the Avian Debate: and Possible Worlds Semantics in the 6. Conclusion: Chaucer and the Reality of Change