The Canterbury Tales

1. The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer

2. 1343(?)-1400 In hisownlifetime, Geoffrey chaucer was considered the greatest English poet, and the centuries have not dimmedhisreputation, with the single exceptionof William Shakespeare, no englishwriter has surpassedChaucer’sachievements. Hisunfinishedmasterpiece The Canterbury Tales, ranks as oneof the world’sfinestWorkofliterature. It alsoprovides the bestcontemporarypicture we have offourteenthcenturyEngland.

3. “The life so brief, the art so long in the learning, the attempt so hard, the conquest so sharp, the fearful joy that ever slips away so quickly - by all this I mean love, which so sorely astounds my feeling with its wondrous operation, that when I think upon it I scarce know whether I wake or sleep.” —Geoffrey Chaucer

4. “Then you compared a woman's love to Hell,To barren land where water will not dwell,And you compared it to a quenchless fire,The more it burns the more is its desireTo burn up everything that burnt can be.You say that just as worms destroy a treeA wife destroys her husband and contrives,As husbands know, the ruin of their lives. ” —Geoffrey Chaucer

5. “Purity in body and heart May please some--as for me, I make no boast. For, as you know, no master of a household Has all of his utensils made of gold; Some are wood, and yet they are of use.” “ —Geoffrey Chaucer

6. Early Life • 1343-1400 • Born to a middle class family • His father was a wine merchant who believed his child should have a formaleducation • Odd jobs = page, courtier, diplomat, civil servant, scrap metal collector • Travelled all over Europe

7. Later Life • Fluent in English, Italian, Latin, and French • Worked as a government official under three different kings = high social status • Was captured as a POW during the Hundred Year’s War  King paid his ransom • Died of unknown causes – murdersuspected • Chaucer was one of the first writers to be buried in the Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

9. Writing Styles • Often called the father of English poetry • Most scholars still wrote in Latin • Felt English lacked sophistication and had a limited vocabulary • Only local stories and ballads written in English • He wrote in the vernacular or language of the commoners Now known as Middle English • Allegory: • A story in which the character, settings, and events stand for abstract or moral concepts. • It has a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning. • Popular in the Middle Ages. • Satire: a way of criticizing something such as a group of people or a system, in which the writer deliberately make them seem funny so that people will see their faults. • Rhythmic pattern: he introduced the iambic pentameter. • Lack of alliteration • Best known for writing The Canterbury Tales, but also produced several other works

10. Chaucer’s main works • During the French period he wrote poems modelled on French romance styles and subjects like: • The Romaunt of the Rose (before 1373), which introduces the reader into medieval court behaviour in relation to courtly love; • The Boke of the Duchesse (ca. 1369), a personal elegy in which the knight in black tells of his grief for the loss of his wife and this grief is then made the universal grief of all men for the death of all young, good wives. • During the Italian period he wrote • The Parliament of Foules (ca. 1380) which introduces the reader into one of the most popular genres of medieval literature, the Bird and the Beast Fable. • The House of Fame (ca. 1383), a masterpiece of comic fantasy dealing with the contemplation of the vanity of human wishes. • The Legende of Good Women (ca. 1385) which is about the unhappy fate of women who suffered in the cause of love. • Troylus and Criseyde (ca. 1380-5), a long poem adapted from Boccaccio which reveals a subtle psychological insight into the development of characters.

11. The Canterbury Tales • Although the work was never completed, The Canterbury Tales is considered one of the greatest works in the English language • The narrator meets 29 pilgrims at the Tabard Inn in London and travels with them to the shrine of St.Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The host of the inn suggests that each pilgrim should tell two stories while going to Canterbury and two on the way back: whoever can tell the best tale wins a dinner at the inn when they get back, courtesy of the other travelers. • While the genre of the Canterbury Tales as a whole is a "frame narrative," the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is an example of "Estates Satire," a genre which satirizes the abuses that occur within the three traditional Estates (in particular, the Clergy). 

12. The Canterbury Tales • Feudal society was traditionally divided into three "estates" (roughly equivalent to social classes). • The "First Estate" was the Church (clergy = those who prayed). • The "Second Estate" was the Nobility (those who fought = knights). It was common for aristocrats to enter the Church and thus shift from the second to the first estate. • The "Third Estate" was the Peasantry (everyone else, at least under feudalism: those who produced the food which supported those who prayed and those who fought, the members of the First and Second Estates).  • Begun: 1386 • Planned: 120 tales • Completed: 22 and 2 fragments

15. Characters • Narrator (“Chaucer”) • Host • Knight • Squire • Yeoman • Prioress • Second Nun • Three Priests • Monk • Friar • Merchant • Clerk • Man of Law • Franklin • Guildsmen • Cook • Shipman • Physician • Wife of Bath • Parson • Plowman • Manciple • Reeve • Miller • Summoner • Pardoner

16. The Canterbury Tales prologue Background Introduction

17. Before we begin, jot down your thoughts on the following… • Who is the best storyteller you know? What makes this person such a good storyteller? • Think of a person, a person who has a particular job or occupation. • What does this person look like? • How does this person dress? • What personality traits do you associate with this person, as it relates to his or her job? • How does society view this person?

18. Historical Significance: • Published in 1378 by Geoffrey Chaucer • The Tales are incomplete • Chaucer planned 30 pilgrims, 4 tales each • He only got to finish 24 tales • The Tales made vernacular language popular (language spoken by ordinary people, not aristocracy) • Chaucer is considered the “father of English poetry.” • He invented iambic pentameter. • Chaucer was so popular, he is buried at Westminster Abbey with a select few other writers, scientists, and English politicians.

19. The Journey Begins . . . • The Canterbury Tales begins with a prologue (introduction to a literary work) • Narrator (probably Chaucer himself) meets 29 other pilgrims at the Tabard Inn, outside London. • As the pilgrims prepare for their pilgrimage (a journey to a holy place, or a place that is otherwise revered), the Host of the Inn, Harry Bailey, sets a challenge: • Each pilgrim tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two stories on the return trip. The person who tells the best tale will be treated to a feast hosted by the other pilgrims. • CT is a frame story – a story within a story • The Outer Frame Story: the pilgrims meeting at the inn preparing for a journey to Canterbury; the narrator introduces each pilgrim and gives a brief background • The Inner Frame Story: all 24 stories told by the pilgrims along their journey to and from Canterbury.

20. Snapshots of an Era. . . • In the Prologue, Chaucer sketches a brief but vivid portrait of each pilgrim, creating a lively sense of medieval life. • He uses satire (to make fun of something serious in order to prove a point or to expose human folly and vice) in his descriptions of each traveler • Like sarcasm . . . He says one thing, but means another. • In order to understand Chaucer’s social commentary, we have to “get” the satire.

21. England’s Feudal System • Feudalism - The dominant social system in medieval Europe, consists of the following hierarchy: • Monarch: Top class, ruled their kingdom, divided the land and governed their people. • Lords: Had castles and manors, governed their area and set laws, and raised army. • Knights: Fought wars for their lord and king and competed in many tournaments. • Peasants/Serfs: Grew food for the people, lowest class, provided many services to the above classes, theoretically in exchange for protection.

22. Role of Religion in Medieval England: • Why is religion such a prominent theme in this story? • Religion was extremely important to people in this era because there was so much to be fearful of: • Disease (Black Plague) • Short life expectancy (about 30) • High infant mortality rate • Constant warfare • Religion gave people hope for a better afterlife. • This is why the whole story is about a journey to the Canterbury Cathedral.

23. Types of Satire: • Two types of Satire: • 1. Juvenalian - After the Roman satirist Juvenal: Formal satire in which the speaker attacks vice and error. Juvenalian satire is harsh, critical, and sometimes controversial. • 2. Horatian - After the Roman satirist Horace: Satire in which the voice is indulgent, tolerant, amused, and witty. The speaker gently ridicules the absurdities and follies of human beings. Horatian satire is light, funny, and meant to get a laugh.

24. Juvenalian Satire:

25. Horatian Satire: “You spend thousands of dollars and the best years of your life going to college so you can be considered good enough for a job you hate for a boss who doesn’t care about you, so you can be paid money which doesn’t exist in order to buy stuff you don’t need to impress people you don’t even like.”

26. Satiric Norm: • Chaucer creates SATIRIC NORMS to help us see his criticism better. • A SATIRIC NORM is a character that represents the perfect ideal. • We can then see how BAD everyone else is by comparing them to this Satiric Norm, sort of like a “foil.”

27. The Prologue. • In the “Prologue,” Chaucer examines three segments of Medieval England: • 1. The Old Feudal order – these are all of the pilgrims associated with the feudal class system (a hierarchy involving a wealthy landowner , down through the peasants who work for him). • Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Plowman . . . • 2. The Merchant Class –the rising middle class of the time; towns and cities were emerging , so skilled workers were needed: • Merchant, Man of Law, Guildsmen, Cook . . . • 3. The Ecclesiastical (Church) Class – all of the members of the church. Chaucer is most critical of this segment of society. • Prioress, Monk, Friar, Pardoner . . .

28. A Literary Tour. . . • Chaucer uses the popular genres of his time when he creates the inner stories of the various pilgrims: • Romances (tales of chivalry) • The Wife of Bath’s Tale • Fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous stories) • The Miller’s Tale • 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 • Chaucer wrote much of the Tales using his own form, the heroic couplet, a pair of rhyming lines with five stressed syllables each.

29. Literary Analysis • 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.

30. Literary Analysis Each character in The Canterbury Tales represents a different segment of society in Chaucer’s time. By noting the virtues and faults of each, Chaucer provides social commentary, writing that offers insight into society, its values, and its customs. While reading, try to figure out how Chaucer felt about his contemporary society.