The Medieval Anadyomene: A Study in Chaucer’s Mythography by Meg Twycross delves into the intricate mythological and symbolic representations of the goddess Venus in Geoffrey Chaucer’s works. Through a detailed analysis of The Knight’s Tale and The House of Fame, Twycross explores Chaucer’s unique choice to depict Venus with non-traditional attributes such as a citole (a musical instrument) and a comb, rather than the sea-shell typically associated with her. These deviations from classical iconography prompt an exploration into Chaucer’s engagement with medieval mythographical traditions, including works by figures like Pierre Bersuire and Giovanni Boccaccio.

Twycross traces the origins of these mythological depictions, examining how Chaucer adapted classical and medieval sources to suit his narrative needs, while maintaining the goddess’s ambiguous symbolism. The study also emphasizes the persistent association of Venus with the sea, even when her traditional attributes are altered, and it explores the allegorical meanings behind the citole and comb as reflections of Venus’s dual nature—embodying both the beauty and discord of love.

This comprehensive investigation into Chaucer’s mythography provides a new lens for understanding his poetic intentions and the rich symbolic layers of his work. The Medieval Anadyomene is an essential resource for scholars of Chaucer, medieval literature, and classical mythography, offering fresh insights into the blending of classical and Christian traditions in medieval poetry.

'One had begun to wonder if the excitement of the literary chase, which turned some earlier critics into thriller-readers and occasionally into thriller-writers, had begun to disappear from contemporary scholarship. Mrs Twycross happily restores it. She is rightly suspicious of much so-called "evidence":[...]'
Stan Hussey,  Modern Language Review 70:2 (April 1975), 387-89

'The most detailed study of Chaucer’s Venus remains Meg Twycross, The Medieval Anadyomene: A Study in Chaucer’s Mythography' 
Jessica Brantley, ‘Venus and Christ in Chaucer's Complaint of Mars: The Fairfax 16 Frontispiece’, Studies in the Age of Chaucer 30 (2008), 171-204