Style of dress in the 1300 s indicated

Style of dress in the 1300 s indicated your social status. • Rich • Middle-Class • Poor

The Canterbury Tales Reveal Fashion “Laws” • No matter what you wear, or when you live, your clothes say a lot about… • Personalities • Position on the Social Ladder • who you are • Attempts at modesty or • where you fit in deception • what you aspire to be. • Fashion choices show a character’s. . .

Direct Characterization • Direct Statements about the character • EX. He was “a great stout fellow big in brawn and bone. ”

The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus: Characterization Chaucer uses indirect characterization when he tells how each character • looks and dresses This yeoman wore a coat and hood of green, And peacock-feathered arrows, bright and keen • speaks and acts Her greatest oath was only “By St. Loy!” • thinks and feels And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.

Indirect Characterization • Doesn’t use Direct Characterization. • Implied Characterization Uses… • Actions (What they do) • Thoughts (What they think) • Dialogue (What they say) • Reactions (How others react to the character)

The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Literary Focus: Characterization Chaucer uses indirect characterization when he tells how each character • looks and dresses This yeoman wore a coat and hood of green, And peacock-feathered arrows, bright and keen • speaks and acts Her greatest oath was only “By St. Loy!” • thinks and feels And gladly would he learn, and gladly teach.

A Prologue • a separate introductory section of a literary or musical work.

The Prologue in The Canterbury Tales… • Establishes a Frame Story • A Frame Story is a literary technique that creates a story within a story • An introductory or main narrative is presented for the purpose of setting the stage for a more emphasized second narrative

The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Frame Story A frame story is a literary device that binds together several different narratives. It is a story (or stories) within a story. • In The Canterbury Tales, the pilgrims’ journey is the outer story. • The tales the pilgrims tell are stories within a story. • The tales themselves also have thematic unity. [End of Section]

The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer Twenty-nine pilgrims are on their way to the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket in Canterbury. The time is April, and the place is the Tabard Inn in Southwark (SUTH erk), just outside London Canterbury [End of Section]

The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales Reading Skills: Analyzing Style: Key Details Chaucer had twenty-nine characters to introduce, so he couldn’t develop any one character at great length. Instead, he provided a few wellchosen details that would make each character stand out vividly.

The Prologue begins in The Spring Imagery and Themes of the First 18 Lines • The Prologue begins with references to beginnings • Many images of rebirth and renewal • April itself is often presented as a time of rebirth • Spring is the perfect time to start a pilgrimage

The Characters • • • The Knight The Squire The Yeoman The Nun (Prioress) The Monk The Friar The Merchant The Oxford Cleric The Sergeant at the Law The Franklin The Tradesmen - The Haberdasher, The Dyer, The Carpenter, The Weaver, The Carpet-maker • The Cook • The Doctor • The Woman of Bath • • The Parson The Plowman The Miller The Manciple The Reeve The Summoner The Pardoner The Host (The Wife of Bath)

The Characters • Some Characters are idealized meaning some appear “perfect” examples of their type • These characters highlight behaviors that should be copied. • Some characters are frauds and con artists who show some of the typical examples of their type. • These characters highlight behaviors to be avoided.