 Journal (#5) What two things does the author compare? What does she say about the universality of themes? Why do you think we study texts from more than 500 years ago?

Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer ( ): Social Background  Born in a well-to-do family in London,  Commoners who were advancing in wealth and social prestige  Excluded from the aristocracy by birth, and from the country gentry by their city occupations  They were somewhere in between: the beginning of the English middle class

Chaucer: Career Path  Teenage: a page in the household of Prince Lionel (son of King Edward III)  His 1 st great patron was John of Gaunt (5th son of the king): the most powerful nobleman in England  Received offices, grants of money, and other privileges for his services from successive kings  Sent on diplomatic missions to Flanders, France and Italy  Became a public man but of modest importance

Formal and informal education  His development: summed up in three stages, French, Italian and English.  Worked with French and Italian texts  Most likely spoke French, Italian, English, and Latin  Wrote a number of other works before The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales: Background  First book of poetry purposely written in English  Set standard of poetry for centuries  Chaucer did not complete the entire Canterbury Tales as designed  Tales structured so that each pilgrim would tell four tales only completed twenty-four tales

But why go to Canterbury?

One Answer: Religion  Canterbury has always been an important religious center in England.  St. Augustine (seen in stained glass from the Canterbury Cathedral) was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to establish the Catholic faith in the country  Religion played an important part in medieval life.

Why was religion important?  It ’ s the Middle Ages Plague Warfare High Infant Mortality Rate Short Life Expectancy …and if you were a peasant, you lived your whole life in harsh conditions  About the best thing that you had to look forward to was dying and going to heaven

Also, Canterbury was a Pilgrimage Site  People of all classes went on pilgrimages to holy sites to ask for help with medical, financial or other problems. What exactly is a pilgrimage? What were some other Medieval pilgrimages? Can you think of any modern day ones?

Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II. Henry named Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.

Becket ’ s outspoken style angered the King. One day, Henry complained, “ Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest? ” Three knights rode to Canterbury where they found Becket at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.

Becket was murdered at the altar.

Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St. Thomas. Use your iPads to do a quick Google Images search of Canterbury Cathedral—what about this building and its history made it important to pilgrims?

The pilgrims: who were they? Feudal system Knight, squire, yeoman, franklin, miller, reeve, plowman… Clergy: Nun, monk, aria, prioress, parson, summoner, pardoner… Middle-class: Merchant, sergeant-at the-law, cook, skipper, doctor, wife of Bath… No too rich people, no too poor people. That adds to realism. Can you explain why? Three Social Classes

In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer wrote about the people he had met along the way. If you were doing the same thing today, think about the variety of types of people you know and have encountered.

Describe them by:  Their job  The type and color of their clothing  Their “ accessories ” (jewelry, pets, other portables)  The way they act  Their income  Their “ secrets ”  Their status in society as a whole  The way they speak / their slang or accent  Their mode of transportation

Characterization  Part of his mastery rests with creating characters  The characters take turns telling tales  They have depth and a quality of seeming real  Characters are created through: Physical descriptions (some quite graphic) Characters interacting with each other The tales themselves (often specifically their personalities and motivations)

Types of Characterization  Direct: writer makes direct statements about a character ’ s appearance, personality, and actions  Indirect: writer suggests information about a character through what the character says and does what other characters say about him/her how other characters behave towards him/her

FRAME: GENERAL PROLOGUE Structure of the Canterbury Tales IT TELLS A STORY NARRATIVE POEM WRITTEN IN VERSE

Narrative Poem  Poetry that has a plot  Usually has a regular rhyme scheme  Canterbury Tales uses end rhyme  End rhyme: rhyming of the end of 2+ lines When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root and all

Frame Story  “ story within a story ” ; sets stage for smaller story or stories to come  Examples: The Princess Bride, Forrest Gump, Slumdog Millionaire, “ flashback ” sitcom episodes  In CT, the frame is the storytelling contest described by the narrator  The story itself is made up of the pilgrims ’ tales Story set-up Story within the story e.g., Gump ’ s many exploits e.g., Gump on bench

Merits of the Tales  Tales convey multiple themes  Create a microcosm of medieval English life  Paints a multifaceted picture of humanity  Entertain