POETRY-1 (ENG403) LECTURE – 2

REVIEW OF LECTURE 1 Poetry Categories of Poetry Types of Poetry How to Analyze Poetry o Rhythm, meter, o Rhyme scheme o Literary Aspect o Figures of Speech

REVIEW OF LECTURE 1 Categories of Poetry o Descriptive Poetry o Narrative poetry o Reflective Poetry

REVIEW OF LECTURE 1 Types of Poetry o Lyric Poetry o Ballad o Sonnet o Ode o Elegy o Epic

REVIEW OF LECTURE 1 How to Analyze Poetry o Rhythm, meter, o Rhyme scheme o Literary Aspect o Figures of Speech

REVIEW OF LECTURE 1 Figures of Speech o Metaphor o Simile o Personification o Metonymy o Apostrophe o Hyperbole o Understatement o Litotes

REVIEW OF LECTURE 1 Figures of Speech o Alliteration o Assonance o Consonance o Onomatopoeia o Anaphora o Antithesis o Paradox o Oxymoron

INTRODUCTION TO 14 th CENTURY A period of great activities: o Background o Political o Social o Religious o Literary

INTRODUCTION TO 14 th CENTURY Background o The Norman Conquest (1066) o Rise of Anglo-French Aristocracy o French in English Court o English: used by Lower Classes o Loss of Normandy (1204) o Feeling of Antagonism o Literature was produced in French

INTRODUCTION TO 14 th CENTURY Political o The Norman Conquest o 100 year’s war o o Between England and France o National Consciousness o Patriotic Feelings o Birth of Parliament

INTRODUCTION TO 14 th CENTURY Social o Black death ( ) o Living Standard Improved o Rise of craftsmen and merchants o Rise of Middle Class

INTRODUCTION TO 14 th CENTURY Religious o Great changes occurred o English court was loyal to Pope o Conflict with France gave rise to patriotism o It weakened the pope’s authority o Pope’s court became corrupt o It gradually prevailed in the whole society o Prestige of church declined

INTRODUCTION TO 14 th CENTURY Literary o Medieval literature o Religious Themes o Very few notable literary works o Renaissance in Italy

NOTABLE WRITERS OF THE AGE William Langland – the social discontent, preaching equality of men & dignity of labor John Wycliff – Translated Bible, gave people Gospel in their own language John Gower – criticized vigorous life & afraid of its consequences John Mandeville – Travels and travelers, romancing about wonders to be seen abroad Geoffrey Chaucer – Introduction of Heroic Couplet in the Canterbury Tales.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER Father of English Poetry Representative poet of 14 th century Introduced Heroic Couplet in English Literature Selection included in this course o The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

BIOGRAPHY OF THE POET (1) Birth: London in 1340 c. Father: Vintner (wine merchant) French, Latin and Italian 1357: Geoffrey joined service of Elizabeth 1359: went to take part in war March 1360: taken as a prisoner The king paid £16 as ransom A year later he joined royal service 1366: married Philippa, later became maid Sister to 3 rd wife of John of Gaunt

BIOGRAPHY OF THE POET (2) Received Gaunt’s patronage Had two sons 1367: granted annuity for life : Diplomatic and commercial missions abroad 1368: became king’s esquire 1369: The Book of the Duchesse 1334 lines; octosyllabic couplets

BIOGRAPHY OF THE POET (3) : sent to Italy as an Ambassador Met Petrarch, Boccaccio Dante’s works inspired him to write in vulgar English 1374: Became controller of customs 1385: Lost his job & rent free home Moved to Kent; appointed as justice of peace 1385: Elected to the Parliament; representative of Kent Period of great creativity Troilus and Cressida

BIOGRAPHY OF THE POET (4) 1387: His wife died 1389: appointed clerk of king’s works To upkeep and repair governmental buildings Used to take money to give to laborers 1390: received royal gifts and pension 1399: His annuity was increased Spent last year of his life in Greenwich 1400: Died in London. Buried in Westminster Abbey in ‘poet’s corner’ 1555: Monument was erected to him

SOURCES OF NARRATIVE INSPIRATION Latin, French and Italian works Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Loris Ovid’s poems Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio

IMPORTANT WORKS The Book of the Duchess (1369) o Blanche, the Duchess of Lancaster o Based on French sources; Roman de la Rose by Guillaume de Machaut The House of Fame ( ) o Ovid, Virgil, Dante Translated The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius Parliament of Birds The Canterbury Tales

PERIODS OF INFLUENCE The French Period The Italian Period The English Period

THE FRENCH PERIOD The Romance of the Rose The Book of the Duchess Poems o The Complaint unto Pity o The complaint of Mars o Queen Anelida and The ABC

THE ITALIAN PERIOD The Parliament of Fowls Troilus and Creseyde The House of Fame Palamon and Arcite The Legend of Good Women  ITALIAN WRITERS Dante: o The Divine Comedy Boccaccio: o The Decameron Petrarch Lyric Poet

THE ENGLISH PERIOD Minor Poems The Canterbury Tales o Collection of Tales o Original Plan: 120 stories o Contain 24 stories o 2 are unfinished

CHAUCER’S LANGUAGE Over 600 Years Old Changes in meaning, spelling, vocabulary etc. Usually modern text is available for comprehension Availability of glosses These become unnecessary gradually

THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES Framework Pilgrimage Diverse assembly of narrators Rhyming verse written in Middle English Collection of stories narrated by 3o pilgrims The shrine of Thomas à Becket Each will tell 4 stories Plan of 120 stories

HEROIC COUPLET A pair of rhyming lines written in Iambic Pentameter Groups of syllables are called ‘feet’ Pentameter Five feet ‘Iambic’ refers to the foot used An unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable ‘a verse having five accents with the lines rhyming in pairs’ Befell ∣ that, in ∣ that sea ∣ son on ∣ a day, ∣ In south ∣ work at ∣ the Ta ∣ bard as ∣ I lay, ∣ at night ∣ was come ∣ into ∣ that hos ∣ telry ∣ well nine ∣ and twen ∣ ty in ∣ a com ∣ pany ∣

CHAUCER AS A REPRESENTATIVE POET OF 14 TH CENTURY The Canterbury Tales Representative work Brought Literature Closer to Life Presents all the stratum of society o Feudal class o Religious class o Social class

CHAUCER AS A MODEL Styles and techniques Shakespeare John Dryden Alexander Pope

RECAP OF LECTURE 2 Background Introduction to 14 th century Important writers of 14 th century Biography of G. Chaucer Works & Three Periods of Influence Chaucer’s Language Introduction to The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

REFERENCES A Quintessence of English Poetry, Dr Rubina Kamran, Farrukh Zad. NUML, Islamabad. A Quintessence of English Poetry, Dr Rubina Kamran, Farrukh Zad. NUML, Islamabad. www2.ivcc.edu/rambo/Chaucer_Canterbury_Prologue.ppt