IF there is orientalism to consider in the Squire's Tale, it is different from that examined in the preceding chapter. Here we find the more conventional “academic” sort, for this tale is remarkable for its wide variety of Eastern sources and analogues. The elements of these – motifs, details of plot and setting, etc. – may be thought of as “content,” though the striking feature of this romance is its form, a matter that throws light on the romance's westernness. While the content of the unfinished Squire's Tale may be oriental, its structure appears to be European, a type of poetry of interlace found in medieval French romance literature and even the English epic, Beowulf. It could be said that the interlaced form of romance with which Chaucer experiments relates to Eastern frame narratives (albeit at some distance), but it is impossible to be conclusive about this.

Oriental Content or “Academic” Orientalism

Compared to the voluminous studies of many other Canterbury tales, the critical notice taken of the tale told by the squire is relatively slight. A study which has helped renew interest in the squire's fragmentary tale is Jennifer R. Goodman's 1983 article, “Chaucer's Squire's Tale and the Rise of Chivalry” (Goodman, 127–36). Her essay offers a genial appreciation of the tale, arguing that it resembles other late Middle English romances like Partonope of Blois, Valentine and Orson, and Generides, all characterized by an interest in exotic Oriental detail, complex plots involving numerous characters, magic blended with realism, and family plots (some, Generides and Huon of Bordeaux, for example, that even provide instances of averted incest, a subject that has engaged recent scholars).