Medieval Literature

Medieval Literature The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer

Art Reflects Life… Life Reflects Life What do you know about life in the Middle Ages in Europe, particularly England? How was life for the peasants different from life for the nobility? Around what did life revolve? What were the primary concerns on the common people? What does this piece tell us about life in this time period? How does the artist utilize color, line, and pattern to set the mood of the piece?

What aspect of this work is most interesting to you? What draws your eye? What does this picture tell us about life in the Middle Ages? Where? Who? What? Why? How? What materials did artists use in this time period?

Oil paint on oak; Workshop of robertcampin (South Netherlandish, died 1444), Popular Materials • Stained glass windows • Wooden screens carved or painted with oils • Tapestries • Illuminated pages for hymn books or psalteries. • Frescos • Statues: Ivory, copper, gold. • Jewelry • Architecture

Byzantine monumental Church mosaics are one of the great achievements of medieval art. These are from Monreale in Sicily from the late 12th C. Analyze this as we have the other pieces.

Time Frame Med. Lit… broad subject Includes all works in Europe and beyond, during Middle Ages. AD 500 to the beginning of the Florentine Renaissance in the late 15th Century.

Religious and Secular Works Religious Writings: Hymns Poetry Mystery plays Treatises Secular Works: Epic poems…Beowulf Songs of the troubadours Courtly romances Political poetry Allegorical works Fableau First page of Beowulf.

Theological Works Dominant form of literature typically found in libraries during the Middle Ages. Catholic clerics…the intellectual center of society. Countless hymns survive from this time period.

MONKS The Scriptorium: Books and manuscripts were written and illustrated by monks. Decorated with beautiful paints and gold leaf. The books…written on parchment made out of the skin of young animals.

TROUBADOURS Meaning? References?

Troubadours Traveling singers ….made a living from their songs The writings/lyrics often associated with unrequited longing. Many sang songs about aspects of courtly love

Courtly Love in The Canterbury Tales “Knight’s Tale” Love at first sight. Women have power over men. Men must fight to win the lady. Squire is a parody of courtly love Prioress: nun who has “love conquers all” brooch Many characters integrate the cultural ideals of courtly love into their dress, their behavior and the tales they tell.

RULES AND ELEMENTS OF COURTLY LOVE (by 12th Century Frenchman, Andreas Capellanus) Jealousy, and therefore love, are increased when one suspects his beloved When one lover dies, a widowhood of two years is required of the survivor It is not proper to love any woman whom one would be ashamed to seek to marry A true lover does not desire to embrace in love anyone except his beloved A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved Nothing forbids one woman being loved by two men or one man by two women A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved The easy attainment of love makes it of little value; difficulty of attainment makes it prized Every lover regularly turns pale and his heart palpitates in the presence of his beloved It is well known that love is always increasing or decreasing Good character alone makes any man worthy of love If love diminishes, it quickly fails and rarely revives Every act of a lover ends in the thought of his beloved Love can deny nothing to love When made public, love rarely endures Scenes of courtly love on a lady's ivory mirror-case. Paris, 1300-1330.

Motif Meaning? Speculate…What were some popular motifs from this time period? What evidence do you have to support your ideas?

Lovesick: Motif Love is a torment or a disease Man in love cannot sleep or eat And sometimes undergoes physical changes

Reality? Real life did not resemble these ideals…but they were very popular. Especially among the nobility

Jean de Meun and Guilaumede Lorris Allegory Representations of abstract qualities, events, and institutions Prominent in the period Conveyed morals Qualities are personified… “Noble Lady = Beauty” “Gentlemen = Wealth” “The Romance of the Rose” by Jean de Meun and Guillaume de Lorris

COMPANY Word origins? Any speculations?

The Importance of Company Company in Latin: com = with, pane = bread… or a group of people with whom one breaks bread or eats. Many of the characters end their tales by wishing the rest of the “compaignye” or company, well.

Medieval Guilds Guilds had their own dining halls. Eating together was a way to cement relationships and work out conflicts. Today? Company = a group of people engaged in the same business.

Medieval Communities Smooth functioning depended upon groups of socially bonded workers in towns and guilds.

Canterbury Tales’ Pilgrims From different social classes creating an informal company. Telling stories and eating together unites them.

Peasants and The Church What attitudes toward the church do you think were prevalent among peasants in Europe during this time? What might have influenced these attitudes?

Divide between Church and the Poor Century of disease, plague, famine and few jobs Church wealth seemed unfair to the poor Church’s preaching against greed = hypocritical Churchmen accepting bribes or eating well offended the poor Winchester Cathedral, London.

Corruption of the Church The Church was extremely wealthy. Cathedrals = shrines to saints Expensive decorations and equipment such as candlesticks and reliquaries …jewel encrusted boxes holding relics. The reliquary containing “The Holy Right Hand” of St. Stephen. (St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest, Hungary)

Tithes Early Middle Ages - whole tithe system…badly abused. The pastoral role of the Church became not so much to shepherd their sheep as to fleece them. Tax was enforced, where necessary, in the Church courts.

Scenes from the Passion of Saint Vincent of Saragossa and the History of His Relics, 1244–1247 French; From the Church of St. Germain-des-Prés, Paris Pot-metal glass with vitreous paint

Canterbury Tales: Religious Characters THE MONK enjoys hunting (pastime of nobility) and distains study and confinement THE PRIORESS (Nun): Bejeweled rosary and dainty mannerisms.

The Friar Friar – order of mendicants Made living by begging and accepted money to hear confessions Often seen as lecherous and threatening

Summoner: Lecherous, dishonest, and generally unethical. CHURCH OFFICIALS: Treated more severely by Chaucer Pardoner: riding with hood proof; shallow character.

The Romance “The Romance”: Knights, ladies and courtly love, popular literary genre of 14th C. Lit Example: King Arthur, Guinevere, Sir Lancelot. Wife of Bath’s Tale: Arthurian Romance

A Knight’s Tale A Knight’s Tale “The Knight’s Tale”

THE FABLEAU: The Miller’s Tale Ridicules elements of traditional romance Boisterous, violent romp. Bawdy humor.

The Tabard Inn

Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Cathedral

Medieval Literature