Life and Times of Geoffrey Chaucer

Warm-up  What do you know about the Medieval time period?

Learning Objective  Introduce biographical details about Geoffrey Chaucer  Provide historical context that may have influenced the Canterbury Tales  Preview the general structure of the Canterbury Tales

Basic Facts  Born Died October 25,1400  His father, John Chaucer rose up the ranks as a part of the merchant class. Young Geoffrey was afforded an excellent education.  As a page (later a squire) of Prince Lionel Earl of Ulster, Geoffery learned how to write verse along with French and Latin.  Was not interested in military career, but was captured fighting in France and ransomed. He became a civil servant after  Married Phillippa Roet, whose sister, Katherine Swynford, Became the third wife of the Duke of Lancaster.  Major fan of Bocaccio and Dante  1374 – became controller of customs 1385 – justice of the peace

England at the Time  Estate system of class  Clergy – Those who pray. Taken orders in the church and own land. Highly educated and control the knowledge people receive. Bible is written in Latin and most lay people cannot read or write in general, let alone read Latin  Nobility – Those who fight. Own land and pledge loyalty to the king. Control the estates and places where people live. Composed on knights and old money. Hold most of the wealth outside of the church.  Peasantry – Those who work. Some can become very wealthy, but never own land.  Chaucer was a member of the peasentry.  Stereotypes: Farmers, dirty, starvation, uneducated, thieves  Reality: Includes merchants and skilled laborers ( masons, artists, craft makers)

Historical Context: Middle Ages  Medieval Literary time period: 5 th century - 15 th century  100 years war: 1337 – 1453  Black death/plague: 1340  Papal Schism: 1378 – 1417  Peasants revolt of 1381 – Richard the II. Archbishop of Canterbury killed.  Rise of lollardy/wycliffism: considered heritics/unorthodox  John Wycliffe  Bible should be in English  1409 – heretics burned at the stake  Did not believe in transubstantiation (body and blood of Christ)  Sacraments not that important

The Canterbury Tales  Shrine of Thomas Becket at Canterbury is a major Catholic site. Many Catholics would make a pilgrimage to the church and ask for forgiveness (pay for sins)  Twenty-nine pilgrims meet at the Tabard Inn in Soutwark, south of the Thames River.  Framed Narrative: The general prologue creates a structure for all the tales. Each pilgrim tells two tales going to Canterbury and two on the way back.  Types of tales: Romance, fables, Saints’ Lives, beasts epics, and fabuleux  Only twenty-four, or twenty-three and a half tales actually told  Chaucer's main influence was Boccaccio's Decameron

Other Important Points  Vernacular theology: Stories written and recited in the language of the people. These stories told moral tales that explained the rules of Catholicism outside of the church.  Chaucer elevated the English language to an artistic level by writing in Middle English. Bible is written in Latin and the Nobility use French.

Predictions  List Three predictions you have about The Canterbury Tales based on the presentation given.