nihilistic expression of desire exposes the space between violence, love and pornography, an idea that is explored throughout BallardÊs work, for example in High Rise where the gradual deterioration of society, catalysed by the microcosmic and claustrophobic world of the high-rise block, results in a dystopian vision of postmodern love – one in which sexual Âperversities [are] created by the limitless possibilities of the high-riseÊ 12 . Whilst there is a significant overlap between the techniques and themes present in postmodern literature and The MillerÊs Tale, there are fundamental contradictions between the two. The narrative structure, for instance, although lending itself to an exploration of subjectivity, serves as a metanarrative for the collection, thus going against the initial definition of the postmodern condition in using such a device sincerely. This is likewise true of many of the literary devices shared between The MillerÊs Tale and the postmodern movement –despite the raw techniques providing a point of connection for these disparate eras, the respective effects strived for reveal the inherent differences that arise from the contextual and conceptual divide between the late 14 th and 20 th centuries. However, the question posed asks only to what extent The MillerÊs Tale acts as a precursor to the postmodern literary movement, and hence in exploring a number of nascent postmodern characteristics in ChaucerÊs work, regardless of their conceptual connotations, The MillerÊs Tale reads as a preliminary template for the postmodern generation: addressing the ideas definitive of that movement through the contextual lens of 14 th -century England.
scenario in which his protagonist is paradoxically both removed from and immersed in modern life, with a ubiquitous means of escape forming the barrier that separates him from society. Another key postmodern concern is that of sexuality, or rather the move from a modernist preoccupation with love in a traditional sense to the postmodern perspective of desire as Âan anarchic force that tears selves apartÊ 10 : one that is explored in The MillerÊs Tale through the character and narrative portrayal of ÂAlisounÊ. With the MillerÊs tale following on from and Ârequit[ing]Ê the KnightÊs tale, Chaucer subtly leads us to contrast the two, especially with regards to their depiction of romance – the Knight portrays ÂEmilyeÊ as a divine figure, who is described from afar and hence unattainable, whereas Alisoun is described by the Miller in wholly physical terms, inviting us to examine her physical appearance at an intimate level, for example imagining the taste of her mouth: Hir mouth was sweete as bragot or the meeth, Or hoord of apples leyd in hey or heeth Although this description, and the proceeding narrative, appears to echo the postmodern attitude towards love as a primal, lustful force, Chaucer is in fact using this story, and indeed the wider Canterbury Tales, as a means of satirizing social classes in a subtle and entertaining manner. Here, for example, the MillerÊs portrayal of Alisoun, coupled with the narrative of his tale, is intended to illuminate the Miller himself: by using such physical language to describe the central female character in this tale the reader is given an image of the Miller as lewd and coarse – an image that is then transferable to the broader class of Millers and their stereotype in ChaucerÊs England and he thus becomes Âa metonymic representation of a social groupÊ 11 .In postmodern literature, however, this
12 Ballard, J. G. High Rise
10 Gregson, I. Postmodern Literature 11 Zieman, K. ChaucerÊs Voys
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