Laughter in Horace’s Ode I. 9 and Chaucer’s nMiller’s Tale

摘要

The article discusses a possible influence of Horace’s Ode I. 9 on Chaucer’s Miller’s Tale. Both contain a young girl laughing in the dark and the laughter is associated with a love affair; both deal with youth and age; the Horatian ode presents the laughter as occurring within a springtime landscape, while Chaucer’s Alisoun is described through natural imagery.