Best English Lecture Notes Ever!!!

Vagina Dentata

During this past semester I took a middle-English class on Geoffrey Chaucer. Most of Chaucer's writing is witty and politically satirical. In short, Chaucer knew exactly what to say in his writing to where he did not get sentenced for his very opinionated beliefs, making him a writing genius of his time.

One of the things mentioned closely related to the "Wife of Bath's Tale" from his Canterbury Tales, is what is known as the "vagina dentata." It is Latin for toothed vagina. Many medieval tales used this literary trope as a means to warn men of having sex with strange women or raping women. However, my professor explained it possibly more to Chaucer's liking and in a more modern fashion:

"A sharp-fanged vagina, devouring men like Pac-Man devours ghosts."
--Professor RWB