The Canterbury Tales: The Wife of Bath's Prologue Literature and Writing Quotes Page 4

Jankyn seems really despicable in this description. Why does he take such pleasure in his collection of tales of wicked wives? If one believed the stories, wouldn't its reading be an occasion for sorrow, and not enjoyment?

The saints' lives the Wife refers to here were tales about women who almost always lived a life of perfect chastity, and often suffered a violent death for their Christianity. Implicit in this statement is a critique of the limited options available to women if they are to be considered 'good.'

Here the Wife recognizes the power of the pen to dictate the way we interpret the world. The Wife's point is that the only reason such horrible antifeminist stories exist is because men have always been the only ones given the opportunity to write.