The writer who most fully reflects the attitudes and concerns of the Middle English Period The Father of English Literature

Both: are befriended by John of Gaunt write religious and societal criticisms wrote in the East Midland dialect used aristocratic and popular points of view in their writings

“She was not undergrown, as all could see.” a master of satire used it to entertain and to show moral indignation “She was not undergrown, as all could see.” “None was so busy as he with case and cause, And yet he seemed much busier than he was.”

did not push for reforms Highlighted lust, greed, and pride as society’s ills Born into the middle class Marries John of Gaunt’s sister-in-law Controller of Customs, Port of London

Lived through the following events: One Hundred Years’ War Great Schism (1375) Black Death (1348-49) Peasant Revolt (1381) Parliament (1362)

“Their general characters are still remaining in mankind, and even in England, though they are called by other names than those of Monks and Friars, and Canons, and Lady Abbesses and Nuns: for mankind is ever the same, and nothing is lost out of nature, though everything is altered.” ~John Dryden (1631-1700)

frame tale or story within a story frame one: narrator gives a description of the pilgrims and states their purpose

frame two: each pilgrim is supposed to tell four stories- two on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back

an unfinished masterpiece only 23 of the proposed 120 stories were completed some stories are unfinished

symbolism of spring: nature and man both renew themselves satirical irony of the pilgrimage: the religiously-minded pilgrims are not very religious

social cross-sections: The pilgrimage allows otherwise separated social classes to be thrown together.

more concerned with material than spiritual values The description of the religious pilgrims grows steadily more severe throughout the tale.

Each pilgrim is paired or grouped with others: the knight, the squire, and the yeoman the prioress, the priest, the monk, and the friar

The pilgrims represent all levels of society and illustrate social change. Let’s take a look . . .

Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote the droghte of March hath perced to the roote, An bathed every veyne in swich licour Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne Hath in the Ram his halve cours yronne,

And smale foweles maken melodye, That slepen al the nyght with open ye (So priketh hem nature in hir corages); Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgramages,

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sundry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,

The hooly blisful martir for to seke, That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.

Wycliffe's translation of ___?___: “Be not youre herte affraied, ne drede it. Ye bileuen in god, and bileue ye in me. In the hous of my fadir ben many dwellyngis: if ony thing lasse I hadde seid to you, for I go to make redi to you a place. And if I go and make redi to you a place, eftsone I come and I schal take you to my silf, that where I am, ye be. And whidir I go ye witen: and ye witen the wey.”