In Chaucer's day, nuns were compelled to read stories of saints, especially those stories about women who were canonized because they literally fought against horrible obstacles to retain their chastity and suffered many tortures to protect their virtue. Such might be the context that informs The Second Nun's Tale. For the Second Nun, who was versed in stories of female saints and their struggle to remain virgins, it is natural for her to present the life story of Saint Cecilia, a martyr whose life story includes forced marriage, devotion to chastity, punishment for her chastity, and a miracle.
The appeal of this type of story — a saint's tale — is often very difficult for a modern reader to appreciate. During the Middle Ages, there was a rise in what is commonly known today as the Cult of the Virgin Mary, beginning as early as the third century a.d. The cult inspired certain religious people to place an extraordinary price on chastity and virginity. A virgin was held in the highest esteem; the physical female body became an altar of chastity to be preserved in the highest manner.
