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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer . A Pilgrimage Exposing Corruption . Who was Geoffrey Chaucer? . Early life. Father was a respected wine merchant (got him a job as a page – Chaucer was able to cross class barriers).
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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer A Pilgrimage Exposing Corruption
Who was Geoffrey Chaucer? Early life • Father was a respected wine merchant (got him a job as a page – Chaucer was able to cross class barriers). • Chaucer served in the British Army and held many government positions, such as controller of customs, justice of the peace, one-term member of Parliament, diplomat to France and Italy & supervisor of repairs and construction at Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. (http://www.jbhs.ccs.k12.nc.us) • Educated - He could read French, Latin, and Italian. http://www.nic.fi/~hurmari/000400.html
Geoffrey Chaucer continued … His Life as an Author * Chaucer began writing poetry in his twenties.* Chaucer used English at a time when much was written in Latin. * Greatest work is The Canterbury Tales (written in Middle English). Although, it was left unfinished when he died in 1400.* He was buried in the famous “Poets’ Corner” of Westminster Abbey. In fact, he was the first person to be buried there.(based on information from http://www.jbhs.ccs.k12.nc.us)
What is a Pilgrimage? • A long journey made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion (dictionary.com) http://northside.isd.tenet.edu/clark/TechwebCanterbury%20Tales/Canterbury_files/image003.jpg
Canterbury? • Canterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England. • A dark chapter in the history of the Cathedral was the assassination of Thomas Becket in the north-east Transept on Tuesday 29 December 1170 by Knights who overheard King Henry II say "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" when he was having troubles with Becket. The guards took it literally and murdered Becket in his own Cathedral. Becket was the second of four archbishops of Canterbury who were murdered.
TheCanterbury Tales http://school.discoveryeducation.com/clipart/clip/frame-v4c.html The Friar’s Tale It’s considered a “Frame Story” - a story within a story - The characters are on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. The Prologue sets up the initial frame that each pilgrim is to tell two tales on the way to the shrine, and two on the way back. It is set-up in the Prologue that the best story wins a free dinner at the Tabard Inn (their starting point) upon return. The Monk’s Tale The Wife of Bath’s Tale The Pardoner’s Tale http://www.ghosts-guildford.org
Who are the characters? • The “pilgrims” come from three main segments of medieval society: • Nobility (Knight, Squire) • Church/Clergy (Monk, Friar, Nun’s Priest, Parson, Summoner, Priest, Prioress (Nun), Pardoner) • Commoners (Miller, Ploughman, Merchant, Host, Cook, Oxford Cleric, etc.) • Chaucer uses the various characters to reveal his personal prejudices about people from different aspects of society. Each character has flaws that are evident in the themes of their tales.
A Pilgrimage Exposing Corruption • The narrators of The Canterbury Tales represent a variety of societal ranks and occupations and through those characters, Chaucer exposes corruption at all levels of society. http://www.sierraexpressmedia.com
Bibliography Chaucer, Geoffrey. “The Canterbury Tales.” The Norton Anthology: English Literature. Ed. M. H. Abrams. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. 76-101. Print. “Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales.” Jack Britt High School. Cumberland County Schools. 2010. Web. 21 September 2010.
