Nusrath Chowdhury
Seminar 2 Preparation – The House of Fame / The Parliament of Fowls
Natalie Jones
(a) Comparison Task:
As we found in The Book of the Duchess, both The House of Fame and The Parliament of
Fowls have a first-person narrative, as the dream is recounted to us by the dreamer-narrator
himself. Compare and contrast the role and characterisation of the dreamer in The House of
Fame and The Parliament of Fowls. Consider the following points:
1. Who is the dreamer-narrator and what do we learn about him and his interests?
The House of Fame:


Geoffrey is the dreamer/narrator. He finds himself in the Temple of Venus, which is made
of glass and has the story of Virgil’s Aeneid depicted on its walls.
Geoffrey wonders about the nature of dreams. He questions why some are beautiful while
others terrify. He ponders their significance and marvels at their variety. The narrator
asserts that he has had the most wonderful dream and states that he will share the details
as he remembers them.
Parliament of Fowles:



The poem's narrator introduces himself as a typical Chaucerian persona: selfdeprecating, bookish, and inexperienced in love.
The narrator is presumably seeking some certain knowledge in the sphere of love, as
he sees it as the most wonderful, yet rather frightening ways of love that he dwells on
in the first two stanzas of the poem.
He talks a lot about heaven, bliss, salvation and the neat distinction between this earth
and heaven.
2. How does the dreamer-narrator fall asleep?
The House of Fame:

The first book begins when, on the night of the tenth of December, Chaucer has a
dream in which he is inside a temple made of glass, filled with beautiful art, and
shows of wealth.
Parliament of Fowls:


Narrator reads Cicero’s Dream of Scipio.
He falls asleep while he reads it, with Scipio appearing in his dream and promising
him rewards for his labour.
Nusrath Chowdhury
3. Why does the dreamer have his dream? What is the dream’s cause?
The House of Fame:



Chaucer confesses to the reader that he does not comprehend the cause of dreams. He
considers dreams to be mere reflections of physical complexions (21-22)
Chaucer writes an invocation to the god of sleep, the Prime Mover of dreams, asking
that none, whether out of ignorance or spite, misjudge the meaning of his dream
He’s an insomniac.
Parliament of Fowls:


The poem begins with the narrator reading Cicero's Somnium Scipionis in the hope of
learning some "certeyn thing". He falls asleep mid-reading.
The narrator takes his dream as a special kind of consolation… he has missed the
rewards of love. This acts as the spur to his eventual return to reading.
4. Where does the dreamer awake and what is important about this?
Similarities would be that both dreamer-narrators envision Venus’ temples.
The House of Fame:




Chaucer has a dream in which he is inside a temple made of glass, filled with
beautiful art, and shows of wealth. After seeing an image of Venus, Vulcan,
and Cupid, he deduces that it is a temple to Venus.
It’s important because the narrator goes on to describe Virgil’s tale, along with
references to other books.
The description of the temple of glass is beautiful, and the summary of the Aeneid is
accurate and concise.
The commentary by Chaucer is a typical medieval exercise. Writing marginalia was
considered an art, and original storytelling was accorded a lower status than it is
today.
Parliament of Fowls:



The dreaming narrator finds himself before a gate modeled after Hell's gate in
Dante's Inferno.
This is important because Chaucer presents parallels and differences between the two
texts…
For example, unlike Dante's gate which promises only eternal sorrow, the gate in the
Parliament offers two possibilities, bliss or pain. Scipio pushes the narrator through
the entrance with the assurance that the gate's terms apply only to those who are
servants of Love.
Nusrath Chowdhury



Once inside, the narrator finds himself in a beautiful forest with a garden, streams,
and singing birds.
He sees Cupid and a host of allegorical figures (such as "Delyt" and "Desyr") that
suggest both the wonderful and terrible nature of Love.
The narrator enters a temple of venus, which is filled with sighs of desire and
adorned with images of famous figures who suffered for love. He sees Venus there,
scantily clothed, but leaves her alone and exits the temple.
5. Who is the narrator’s guide? How would you define the relationship between
the guide and the dreamer?
The House of Fame:



The eagle is Geoffrey’s guide.
The eagle is another one of Chaucer’s narrative masks.
The eagle explains to the narrator that everything in nature has a place that it
gravitates toward naturally.
Parliament of Fowls:

It is Scipio who comes to the narrator to attempt to guide him toward living his own
exemplary life.