The Medieval Period 1154 – 1485 A.D. Period ends when Henry VII becomes king – first Tudor Changes from Anglo-Saxon times: 1066 Norman Invasion – French and Latin languages Rise of Middle English – less Germanic Development of feudalism Church becomes the central institution The Medieval Period November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

1154: Norman rule ends when Henry II ascends throne (Plantagenet line of kings) Thomas Becket appointed archbishop of Canterbury Henry and Becket disagree 1170: Some of Henry’s knights murder Becket in cathedral in Canterbury; Henry condemns knights; takes pilgrimage to Canterbury 1190: Third crusade 1209: Cambridge University founded 1215: Magna Carta 1337: Beginning of Hundreds Years’ War with France 1348/49: Black Death 1/3 – 1/4 of population of Europe dead 1381: Peasants’ Revolt The Medieval Period November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

The Medieval Period 1399: Lancaster house on throne (Henry IV, V, VI) 1455-85: Wars of the Roses Lancaster vs. York Henry Tudor, of the house of York, defeats Richard III Henry becomes Henry VII – starts a line of Tudor kings Medieval Society For many years - nobility, church, and “everyone else” Social system starts to change in the 1300s: Feudalism wanes, the middle class grows Rise of the middle class – traders, merchants, etc. Greater church power leads to corruption The Medieval Period November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

1343-1400 Son of a successful wine merchant, middle class Educated Became a page in an aristocratic household Traveled throughout Europe Worked in customs Obtained works of Dante and Petrarch on trips to Italy Career gave him insight into many different walks of life Geoffrey Chaucer November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

Tales told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, holy site of the murder of Thomas Becket The narrator meets 29 pilgrims at the Tabard Inn in London Host of the Inn suggests a contest: Each pilgrim tells two stories there and back The best storyteller will receive a feast Framed narrative The narrator is telling a story about the pilgrims’ stories meta-fiction The Canterbury Tales November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

The Canterbury Tales The narrator (Chaucer) introduces the pilgrims Each character represents a different aspect of medieval life – different occupations and social classes Medieval stereotypes In reality, such a wide variety of people probably wouldn’t have socialized Chaucer throws all of these pilgrims together so he can make a social commentary The Canterbury Tales November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

Social Commentary – writing that offers insight into society, its values, and its customs Means of pointing out flaws Characterization – ways the author reveals the characters Direct – direct statements about a character Indirect – use of actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal a character’s personality Chaucer uses both Connection to modern times Social stereotypes in our culture TV shows with social commentary The Canterbury Tales November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature

CT is a story about the act of telling stories (an early example of metafiction/ meta-poetry) Many medieval genres are present in CT Romances (tales of chivalry) Fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous stories) Stories of saints’ lives Sermons Allegories (narratives in which characters represent abstractions like Pride or Honor) Each character tells a tale consistent with his or her social standing (see Character Map on p.93) Poetic invention Chaucer adapted French poetic forms to the English of his day. Uses heroic couplets: a pair of rhyming lines w/ five stressed syllables each November 7, 2018 Honors British Literature