‘Fer in the north, I kan nat telle where’: Gentility and Provincialism in Chaucer’s Reeve’s Tale

This article reconsiders the use in Chaucer’s Reeve’s Tale of the name ‘Strother’, said to be the town from which the fictional clerks of the tale, John and Aleyn, originate. This article explores the possible connections between Chaucer’s characters and members of the prominent Strother family of Northumberland, and examines the historical basis for the disparaging light in which these individuals are portrayed in the fabliau.