Geoffrey Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer 1340

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer 1340 -1400 (? ) o o o q Father of English poetry/ the father of English poetry Middle class, well-educated (father was wine merchant) Diplomatic missions to France, Spain, Italy Catholic who perceived abuses within Church and exposed them Served as a soldier, government servant, and member of Parliament First writer buried in Westminster Abbey

Geoffrey Chaucer 1340 -1400 (? ) Learn more about Chaucer. Go to. . . http: //www. unc. edu/depts/chaucer/index. html

History of the Tales o o Geoffrey Chaucer began writing the tales around 1387 AD Incomplete manuscript published 1400 AD, the year he died First book of poetry purposely written in the English language Set precedent for poets from Shakespeare to Dryden to Keats to Eliot

Artistry of Form o o As a work of art it encompasses individuality and universality (the idea of “everyman”) Narrative structure allowed Chaucer the freedom to create a variety of matter in a unified form

Genres include: §Fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous stories) The Miller’s Tale §Romances (tales of chivalry) The Wife of Bath’s Tale §Parable (The stories of saint’s lives; sermons) The Parson’s Tale §Allegories (narratives in which characters represent abstractions such as Pride or Honor). The Pardoner’s Tale

Artistry of Form (cont’d. ) o o o Despite being unfinished, clear indications of a plan Each pilgrim to tell four stories— two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back Chaucer was writing and collecting whatever occurred to him, but CT was likely to find a more firmly constructed structure as it neared completion.

Artistry of Language o o Chaucer wrote in English, in the vernacular/ English was becoming firmly established and widespread Chaucer wrote much of the Tales using his own form, the heroic couplet, a pair of rhyming lines with five stressed syllables each--iambic pentameter

Artistry of Language con’t. q. Despite borrowing much of his material, his use of language injects these tales with new life

The Canterbury Tales: Snapshot of an Age 1. It frames a story of characters on a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury. Frame Story – a story within a story • The Outer Frame Story is about the pilgrims meeting at the Tabard Inn preparing for a journey to Canterbury. • The Inner Frame Story consists of all the stories told by the assembled pilgrims along their journey to and from Canterbury.

Snapshots of an Age con’t. 2. The characters are a concise portrait of an entire nation. • The Old Feudal order – these are all of the pilgrims associated with the feudal class system. Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Plowman. . . • The Merchant Class – this was the rising middle class of the time; towns and cities were emerging and therefore necessitated the need for skilled services: Merchant, Man of Law, Guildsmen, Cook. . . • The Ecclesiastical (Church) Class – these were all of the members of the church. Chaucer is most critical of this segment of his society. Prioress, Monk, Friar, Pardoner

BRITISH CLASS STRUCTURE (1066 A. D. ) Chaucer planned a "framework narrative" with 120 tales— two told by each pilgrim on the way and two told by each on the return trip. Before his death he completed twenty-two tales and left two fragments. Ruling Class KNIGHT SQUIRE Clergy Class MONK FRIAR PRIORESS PARSON SUMMONER PARDONER Middle Class MERCHANT REEVE FRANKLIN DOCTOR OXFORD CLERIC WIFE OF BATH SERGEANT AT LAW Trade Class GUILDSMEN COOK MILLER MANCIPLE Peasant Class PLOWMAN SKIPPER YEOMAN HOST

Snapshots of an Age con’t. 3. The pilgrimage is a quest narrative that moves from images of spring and awakening to penance, death, and eternal life. 4. The characters tell stories that reflect “everyman” in the universal pilgrimage of life.

Another view of the social structure Professional Class Military Religious Knight, Squire, Yeoman Nun, 3 Priests, Friar, Parson, Pardoner, Summoner Secular Cleric, Serjeant at Law, Merchant, Skipper, Doctor

Mastery of Character o o Part of his mastery rests with creating characters Each character takes turns telling tales

Mastery of Characters are created through: q 1. Physical descriptions Physiognomy: the use of physical characteristics to indicate the inner nature of a person. -A high forehead was a sign of intelligence and breeding. -A white neck was the sign of a loose, immoral person.

Mastery of Character -Coral was considered a defense against worldly temptations and earthly love charms. (This was an indication that the Prioress stands with one foot in the secular world and one in the spiritual. ) -Ulcer The cook has an ulcer which was caused by a skin disease associated with faulty diet and poor hygiene, or by a sexually transmitted disease. The Cook’s famous ulcer is indicative of his character.

Mastery of Character -Gap-teeth means traveled far, bald, and especially suited for love. (The Wife of Bath was modeled after Chaucer’s grandmother who had married three times. ) -Bagpipes meant lust and gluttony.

Mastery of Character q 2. Character interaction q 3. Relating the tales: the tales themselves also reflect character (often specifically their personalities and motivations

Why Tell the Tales? 1. Chaucer is free to use tales to convey multiple themes • • • Pilgrimage – journey to a holy place for penance, to ask for a miracle or healing, to travel and see places/meet people Courtly Love – fight for an unattainable lady, always be pure and honest, defend the poor and oppressed, loyalty to a king (and usually to God) Corruption of the Church – wealth in the Catholic church, also lust and gluttony

Why Tell the Tales? con’t. 2. Creates a snapshot of medieval English life 3. Paints a multifaceted picture of humanity 4. Parodies forms of literature 5. Entertains

How Chaucer tells his Tales 1. In the Prologue, Chaucer sketches a brief but vivid portrait of each pilgrim, creating a lively sense of medieval life. 2. The description may literally describe an article of clothing, but figuratively imply something about that character. 3. Satire - a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule. § § Like sarcasm. . . He says one thing, but means another. Our job is to read and comprehend the literal description of each pilgrim, and then, we must figuratively interpret what Chaucer is trying to imply about that pilgrim’s character.

Example of Satire:

Satire con’t. 4. Also, so that we might better understand his satirical characterization, Chaucer creates SATIRIC NORMS. A SATIRIC NORM is a character who represents the perfect ideal. We can then see how BAD everyone else is by comparing them to this Satiric Norm.

How Chaucer tells his Tales con’t. 5. Characterization §Direct characterization presents direct statements about a character, such as Chaucer’s statement that the Knight “followed chivalry, / Truth, honor. . ” §Indirect characterization uses actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal a character’s personality. By saying “he was not gaily dressed, ” for instance, Chaucer suggests that the Knight is not vain and perhaps takes the pilgrimage seriously enough to rush to join it straight from battle.

England in the Middle Ages v Feudalism replaced the Nordic social system. The primary duty of males above the serf class was to serve in the military—Knighthood. v. Women had no political rights. v. Chivalry and courtly love served as the system of social codes