Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

History of the Tales Geoffrey Chaucer began writing the tales around 1387 AD Uncompleted manuscript published 1400AD, the year he died First book of poetry purposely written in the English language – “Father of English poetry” Set a precedent. Poets from Shakespeare to Dryden and Keats to Eliot owe him a debt of gratitude

Going on a Pilgrimage Group of pilgrims heading to Canterbury Cathedral to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. Most popular locations were Rome or Jerusalem. Occasion in which all social classes come together Reasons for going: Hope of heavenly reward Penance Miracle/healing People went in groups for safety Frame story: These pilgrims tell stories to pass the time. At the inn, where the text begins, the pilgrims agree to tell their own stories. According to the Host, Harry Bailey, the best one wins a prize (night of food and housing at the inn)

How could Chaucer write this kind of work? Son of a merchant, page in a royal house, soldier, diplomat, and royal clerk As a page, he made beds, carried candles, and ran errands…but got excellent education All this life experiences made him an expert on all classes Raised middle class but worked with aristocracy through his page job Rose above middle class when he married a lady in waiting to the queen Diplomatic missions to France, Spain, and Italy

Canterbury

Why Canterbury Tales matters? “In all literature, there is nothing that touches or resembles the Prologue. It is the concise portrait of an entire nation, high and low, old and young, male and female, lay (secular) and clerical (religious), learned and ignorant, rogue and righteous, land and sea, town and country” (Nevill Coghill)

Estates Satire Uses exaggeration and sarcasm to show the abuses traditional in each estate (social class) for the different classes in 14th century England 3 Estates: Men only Clergy (church) – those who prayed Nobility (court/knights) – those who fought Peasants (commoners) – those who labor Estates for Women: virgin, wife, and widow Yielding soon to rising middle class of merchants and intellectuals

7 Clerical Figures: Target of Chaucer’s Satirical Attack Prioress: sentimental depiction, proud in a petty way Monk: hedonistic, hunter, inept but not malicious Friar: seducer, sells forgiveness Parson and Plowman: ideal religious men; Parson is one of 2 heroes in tales Summoner: blackmailed, bribed on way to success; ugly, stupid thug Pardoner: perfect fraud: charming, clever, corrupt; biggest hypocrite; secular church official fighting w/church official (Friar)

Chaucerian Irony Don’t mistake Canterbury Tales for a historical document of realistic portraits; Chaucer is writing satire, and so “the rascals far outnumber the admirable figures. Chaucer seems to admire them all, without regard to their moral status” (Geoffrey Chaucer page from Harvard)

Artistry of Form Originally planned for 120 stories (2 stories each way on pilgrimage from London to Canterbury for 30 pilgrims), but only 22 completed, with 2 fragmentary tales. Chaucer left the manuscript(s) unfinished, so we don't know the final ordering of the tales Narrative structure allowed Chaucer the freedom to create a variety of matter in a unified form. POV: switches between first (I, we) and third (he, she, they), enables reader to see story, person telling story, point behind story--all at once. points of view represent different outlooks, morals Many genres incorporated including: Fabliaux, romance, melodrama, sermon, parable, slapstick comedy Fabliaux: short, bawdy poem *

Artistry of Language and Master of Character Chaucer wrote in English (revolutionary choice at the time). English was gaining ground, but Latin was still the choice for the educated; so Canterbury Tales gained a wider audience. Characters are created through: Physical descriptions (some quite graphic) Characters interacting with each other The tales themselves reflecting character (often specifically their personalities and motivations) Indirect and direction characterization