Palindromic Structure in the Pardoner\u27s Tale

This paper explains the medieval writing process known as palindromic structure, a face of anagogy that, as far as we can determine, has largely been ignored in literary criticism. It begins by examining the little verses of Augustine of Dacia that were a staple of schoolboy studies, and demonstrates how the verses were used to teach the creative process to students of Latin composition. Then, after introducing Mary Douglas\u27s criteria for identifying the structure, it sets forth Chaucer\u27s \u27\u27Pardoner\u27s Tale as a well-balanced palindrome, arguing for authorial intentionality by referencing a section of the Parson\u27s Tale. It offers John Dryden\u27s observations about Chaucer\u27s characters--which he has written in palindromic structure--to show that later British authors were aware of Chaucer\u27s method, and concludes by giving evidence that Chaucer knew some Greek