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The Canterbury Tales. By Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales. Began writing around 1387 A.D. Uncompleted manuscript was published in 1400, the year he died Recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language Italian and Latin were primary written languages.
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The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer
Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales • Began writing around 1387 A.D. • Uncompleted manuscript was published in 1400, the year he died • Recognized as the first book of poetry written in the English language • Italian and Latin were primary written languages.
The Canterbury Tales Facts • Originally planned for 120 stories • Only 22 Completed • Ordering of Tales is unclear • Genre Complexity
Narrator Knight Squire Yeoman Prioress Monk Friar Nun Priest Merchant Cleric Man of Law Franklin Haberdasher Carpenter Canon’s Yeoman Weaver Dyer Tapestry-maker Cook Shipman Physician Wife of Bath Parson Plowman Miller Manciple Reeve Summoner Pardoner Host Canon Characters
Genres • Different genres give different views of the world, different vocabularies, and different images for truth. • Romance(Knight’s Tale)- human emotion and relationships • Fabliau(Miller’s Tale)- Basic human needs • Saint’s Life- operations of God in a holy person’s life • Moral Tales- morality(Pardoner’s Tale) • Sermons and Ethical Treasties(Parson’s Tale)
General Prologue • Genre- Estates Satire analysis of society in terms of hierarchy. Each class or profession is described to show how it fails the idea. • Traditional Division of Medieval Society- Top to bottom • Individuals, not groups described, but individuals are representatives of different recognizable groups
Prologue • Key Idea: the interplay of the social relations and individual identity in the tales • Chaucer- narrator • Human Nature
Class Structure • Aristocracy • Middle Class • Lower Class
Aristocracy • Knight • Squire • Yeoman • Prioress • Monk • Friar
Middle Class • Merchant • Franklin • Cook • Shipman • Physician • Wife of Bath
Lower Class • Parson • Plowman • Miller • Reeve • Summoner • Pardoner • Narrator • Host