Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales Mrs Postin

Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales Mrs. Postin English IV

Geoffrey Chaucer �Born around 1343 in London �Son of a middle- class wine merchant �Became a page in the royal household when he was a teenager. � Mundane jobs BUT- he was exposed to proper speech, manners, and the shortcomings of the upper-class.

Geoffrey Chaucer �In his twenties, Chaucer was appointed as a court official, and he continued to hold government posts for the rest of his life. �Throughout his life Chaucer held posts as: � Soldier � Courtier (often in company of royalty, wanting favor) � Royal emissary to Europe (representative of government) � Controller of Customs � Justice of the Peace � Member of Parliament

Geoffrey Chaucer �At one point, while Chaucer was at war, he was kidnapped by the French and was ransomed for 16 pounds (about $25)! � Side-note: 16 pounds was almost 8 x the average yearly wages of a laborer at the time! �Chaucer served at the courts of three reigning monarchs.

Geoffrey Chaucer Needless to say… he was a pretty important person! But why are we studying him?

Geoffrey Chaucer �Because he was the Father of English Poetry!!

Geoffrey Chaucer �Chaucer made the English Language of the time (Middle English) respectable. �Most literary works of the time were written in Latin or French. �English was considered the language of the “common people. ” �This is why Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales helped to solidify English as the national language.

The Canterbury Tales �Through Chaucer’s traveling as a diplomat, he became fluent in Latin, French, and Italian in addition to English. �In Italy he was introduced to Giovanni Boccaccio who wrote the Decameron. � Chaucer was an admirer of Boccaccio and copied some of his style for his Canterbury Tales… Specifically using a “Frame Story” (story within a story)

The Canterbury Tales �Written at the end of the 14 th Century, The Canterbury Tales depicts Medieval life at the time. �The Canterbury Tales is a frame story which includes a Prologue and then various addition tales that complete the work. �Chaucer first sets up the frame (The Prologue) and then proceeds to tell the story in numerous tales.

The Canterbury Tales �The Canterbury Tales were never completed. �Chaucer originally wanted to have 120 tales included with The Prologue. �At his death, Chaucer had completed 24 tales.

The Prologue �Chaucer had the idea to bring together 29 characters on a Pilgrimage to St. Thomas Becket’s Shrine. � Who remembers the story of St. Thomas Becket? �Henry II (fought with him over church’s rights) �Religious Differences �Murder in the Church (killed by 4 knights; cut off top of head) �Martyr- holy blood (Declared by Catholic church 1173) � 200 th year anniversary of his death happened during Chaucer’s lifetime

The Prologue �By placing his characters on a Pilgrimage to Becket’s tomb, Chaucer enables us to see a wide variety of medieval lifestyles and classes. � Which we will discuss �Chaucer writes The Prologue in Iambic Pentameter � Which is what? � 10 syllable line stressed then unstressed � What other famous British Poet used this?

The Prologue begins in “ High Style, ” describing Spring in a romantic way, then digresses to more realistic and natural verse.