Liza Picard
Chaucer’s People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England by Liza Picard is a delightful romp back to fourteenth-century England.
Taking each of Chaucer’s pilgrims as her starting point, Picard explores the lives, habits, professions, clothing, food, trade, and medicine of the medieval world. No detail is overlooked, beginning with the individual’s temperament and habits, including what these might reveal about Chaucer’s attitude toward members of the profession.
Picard situates the pilgrims in their social, cultural, and historical context by launching into an extensive exploration of the origins and the nature of their occupations. She details the clothes they wore, the fabrics, the headdresses, and the significance of various colors. Her research is impressive. For example, when discussing the cook, she describes medieval kitchens, cooking equipment, food, drinks, and spices. She even includes some medieval cooking recipes! The Doctor of Physic section includes cures for common diseases, a discussion of the plague, and a hilarious section on women’s medicine. For example, to prevent pregnancy, a woman is advised to place the testicles of a weasel in her bosom. Alternatively, to guarantee the birth of a son, the woman is to “take the womb and vagina of a hare, or its testicles, dry and pulverize them and drink the powder in wine.” Presto! A son is born. Sounds perfectly logical, doesn’t it?
Through her comprehensive research and extensive use of detail, Picard injects the pilgrims and their environs with a strong dose of energy and vitality. We half expect them to step off the page—warts and all. The fascinating tidbits about medieval life coupled with an engaging style and a delightful sense of humor make this a worthwhile read for those interested in immersing themselves in Chaucer’s England.
Highly recommended.