The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

1. TheCanterbury Talesby Geoffrey Chaucer 1342 - 1400

2. History of Chaucer • Born somewhere between 1342-1345 and died on October 25, 1400. • Chaucer married Phillippa who bore him 2 sons and a daughter. • He was fluent in French and Latin. • He wrote The Canterbury Tales from 1380s until the late 1390s.

3. Overview of his early life • He left home and became a page when he was fourteen. • As he got older, he worked in the government, serving various rich men and kings. • He frequently traveled to Italy on business and met Petrarch. • There he became familiar with Italian stories and poetry.

4. About TheCanterbury Tales • Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories. Two are written in prose and the rest in verse. • All the stories are contained inside a frame tale which are told by several pilgrims. • Some of the tales are serious and others comical.

5. Themes and Genres • The themes of the tales vary, and include topics such as courtly love, treachery, and avarice. • Religious malpractice is a major theme. • The tales also focus on the social divisions among the three estates (nobility, clergy, and commoners). • The genres also vary, and include romance, Breton lai (Lais are short (typically 600–1000 lines), rhymed tales of love and chivalry, often involving supernatural and fairy-world Celtic motifs, sermon, beast fable, and fabliaux (a short, humorous and typically bawdy poem).

6. About the Story • Several pilgrims are traveling from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the Shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. • The people come from all layers of society. • They decide to entertain themselves and pass time by telling each other stories during their journey. • Thus, The Canterbury Tales are born.

7. The General Prologue The Knight's Tale The Miller's Prologue and Tale The Reeve's Prologue and Tale The Cook's Prologue and Tale The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale The Friar's Prologue and Tale The Summoner's Prologue and Tale The Clerk's Prologue and Tale The Merchant's Prologue and Tale The Squire's Prologue and Tale The Franklin's Prologue and Tale The Physician's Tale The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale The Shipman's Tale The Prioress' Prologue and Tale Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas The Tale of Melibee The Monk's Prologue and Tale The Nun's Priest's Prologue and Tale The Second Nun's Prologue and Tale The Canon's Yeoman‘s Prologue and Tale The Manciple's Prologue and Tale The Parson's Prologue and Tale Chaucer's Retraction List of all the Tales

8. Tales incomplete • It was originally intended that each character in the story tell four tales (two on the way to Canterbury and two coming back) • If this had happened, there would have been a possible 120 total stories. • That would certainly have been more than the 24 stories actually written.

9. Significance of The Canterbury Tales • It is the first poem written in the English language (vernacular). • It is therefore given much credit for inventing modern English. • It recorded words and phrases that were commonly spoken but were never put down on paper before. • Chaucer is considered the model and inspiration for the English poetry that followed him.

10. Works Cited • The Riverside Chaucer. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1987. F.N. Robinson, ed. • "The Canterbury Tales: Critical Overview". 2005. 19 Feb 2008. <http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-canterburytales/crit.html>. • "The Canterbury Tales." 19 Feb 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales>.