Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) —“ Father of English literature/poetry ” 乔叟 —— 英国诗歌之父

1. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)—“Father of English literature/poetry”乔叟——英国诗歌之父 Teaching Aims: • 1. Introduce students to the writer • 2. Familiarize students with ideas of the work and the language the writer used • 3. Give them some knowledge of English metrics

2. Key Points to Teach: • 1.         characters of the work; • 2.         artistic features; • 3.         Chaucer’s English; • 4.         English Metrics

3. I. Chaucer’s His Life (1340—1400) ——father of English poetry ) Wine merchant’s family, rub elbows with people from different walks of life.(refer to North-East Normal University; lecture notes for presentation)

4. II. His works / writing periods of career • 1. French period (1360’s —1372) • 1）The Book of the Duchess (1369—70) • 2）The Romaunt of the Rose

5.    2. Italian period (1372—1385) 1.    Influenced by Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio The House of Fame (1372—80) Legend of Good Women (1380—86) 2.       English period (1387—1400)

6. III. The Canterbury Tales (1387-1400) It is a pilgrimage scene from a stained glass window in Canterbury Cathedral.

7. 1. The plan of the book • 29/30 pilgrims in Tabard Inn in spring, • Two stories each on the way out and two on the way back, but only 24 tales finished (including 4 fragmentary incomplete tales)

8. 2. General Prologue • 1) general framework a group of vivid sketches of medieval figures from different walks of life (except the highest and lowest)

9. 3. Characters (depicted with satire and humor) Knight, squire, prioress, landed proprietor, wealthy tradesman, drunk cook, humble plowman, doctor, lawyer, monks of different orders, nuns, priests, a summoner, 5 husbands and lovers, a sailor, a miller, a carpenter, a yeoman, an oxford scholar, wife of Bath (most interesting), well-to-do independent, control over man

10. The Knight's Tale But for to tellen yow of his array,His hors were goode, but he was nat gay.Of fustian he wered a gyponAl bismotered with his habergeon,For he was late ycome from his viage,And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.

11. The Miller's Tale A swerd and bokeler bar he by his syde. A whit cote and a blew hood wered he. A bagpipe wel koude he blow and sowne, And therwithal he brought us out of towne.

12. The Reeve's Tale The Reeve sat upon a ful good stot That was pomely grey and highte Scot. A long surcote of pers upon he hade, And by his syde he baar a rusty blade.

13. The Wife of Bath's Prologue Ywympled wel, and on hir heed an hat As brood as is a bokeler or a targe; A foot-mantel aboute hir hipes large, And on hir feet a paire of spores sharpe.

14. The Merchant's Tale A MARCHANT was ther with a forked berd,In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat;Upon his heed a Flaundryssh bever hat,His bootes clasped faire and fetisly.

15. 4. Artistic features • heroic couplet: a pair of rhymed iambic pentameter lines • musical, elegant, satirical and humorous

16. IV. His contributions 1.Introduced from France= Italy the rhymed stanzas of different forms: • heroic couplets • rhymed royal (7-line stanza in iambic pentameter, rhyming ababbcc) • terza rima: 3-line stanza, rhyming a b a, b c b, c d c, etc.

17. 2.Made the dialect of London the foundation for modern English language Refer to the lecture notes “English Poetry”; North-East Normal University, Chenjia and others for details

18. V. Some knowledge of English metrics 1. meter: foot; rhyme scheme; scan 2. forms of poetry: heroic couplet etc; 3. analysis of the meter of an example from the text