Imagination and the Cosmic Consciousness in Chaucer’s The House of Fame
Religions July 25, 2023 Dominika Ruszkiewicz
Chaucer's poem The House of Fame draws on an ancient philosophical exercise called 'the view from above,' which uses imagination to help a person review their life and place it within the context of universal nature. The poet adapts the motif of celestial flight not to promote contempt for the world, as some writers do, but to align with thinkers like Marcus Aurelius who use it for self-reflection. Chaucer's treatment of the view from above topos validates the imagination's role in achieving self-knowledge and awareness of one's position in the cosmos.