The Meaning of Middle English <em>Gent and Smal</em>

Abstract

Abstract Gent and smal, a phrase that occurs frequently in Middle English literature, is typically interpreted as “slender,” perhaps most famously in translations and interpretations of Alisoun's descriptio in the Miller's Tale. This article argues that the word-pair must be understood as a hendiadys that carries the connotations of both a noble character and a good build. Due to the phrase's connotations of nobility, its appearance in descriptio complicates the traditional distinction between appearance (effictio) and character (notatio).