CHAUCER’S “DREAM MAN”

Anything can happen in a dream. Dreams are Chaucer’s favorite setting because there are no limits to his imagination. In his poem The Parlement of the Foules he begins by reading a book written by Macrobius, about a famous ancient African, who appeared in a dream. And, if you don’t pay close attention, Chaucer will trick you in his dream sequence.

     When our poet falls asleep that night he is visited by an African, who is standing by his bed and wearing the same clothes as the man in the dream he’d read about. Why mention the clothes? Why not just say it was the same African—if it is? Because it’s trickery. The saying goes that “clothes makes the man,” but in this case “clothes fakes the man”! The African visiting Chaucer is a calculated replacement with an important part to play.

     The poet interjects a list of various dreamers and their dreams: a judge dreams of winning cases; a rich man dreams of gold, and so on. You dream about what pleases you. The African says Chaucer had read “an old book” of his, and makes it clear that the book is not the one by Macrobius. He says Macrobius “wrote not a little” of this book. In other words, Chaucer knew another old book well that was written by a different African author.

     Now we’re going to pluck an African name out of history. It’s a legendary name and Chaucer will confirm the plucking: Augustine of Hippo. He was a famous theologian when he lived (354-450 AD), famous and influential in Chaucer’s day—and is still famous and influential today!

     Chaucer confirms the identity by cleverly dramatizing Augustine’s well-known recommendation for educating or persuading: docere, delectare, movere. That is, inform, delight, move. When the African takes the dreaming Chaucer by the hand, it brings him comfort, delight.  The poet is led to an elaborate garden gate. An inscription over the gate describes on one side how to achieve a happy life and on the other side how to be doomed to a life of frustration and sorrow. As Chaucer stands fearfully contemplating both the possibilities, to his complete surprise—and ours—the African shoves him through the gate and into the garden.  That’s Augustine’s delight, inform, and definitely move!

We’ll have more to say about the garden later.