Knowledge, Belief, and Lack of Agency: The Dreams of Geoffrey, Troilus, Criseyde, and Chauntecleer

Building on Mikhail Bakhtin's definition of authoritative discourse and Michel Foucault's historical reconfigurations of knowledge and power, one may identify dreams as a tangible, constraining mechanism that directs the individual conduct of Geoffrey, Troilus, Criseyde, and Chauntecleer. Through an analysis of dreams and medieval dream lore categories, one may uncover the dominant paradigm of Chaucer's culture, exploring the nexus among knowledge, belief, and agency. Because dreams are perceived as authoritative, monologic, hegemonic texts that depict a fait accompli future, what may seem to contemporary readers as the most natural course of action is to Chaucer's characters inconceivable and absurd. The paradigm of authoritative discourse not only encourages passivity but also reinforces the stability and authority of the social structure.