THE CANTERBURY TALES GEOFFREY CHAUCER

THE MIDDLE AGES ( ) Feudalism The economic and social system in Medieval Europe The lord of the estate provided serfs with land and housing in return for maintenance of the estate Chivalry System of ideals and social codes governing the behavior of knights Must defend his lord, the king, and religion How to treat women and help others

THE MIDDLE AGES Women Women were inferior to men No political rights, dependent upon men Religion Roman Catholic Church Corruption The Crusades-a series of wars by Christians against Muslims fighting for Jerusalem

THE CANTERBURY TALES Composed by Geoffrey Chaucer during the Middle Ages Written in Middle English, the vernacular language of England A collection of stories meant to reflect the society of the Middle Ages

THE CANTERBURY TALES Pilgrimage A religious journey made to a shrine or holy place Prologue An introduction that provides background information regarding to the stories to be told Frame Story A narrative within which one or more other narratives unfold Allegory Popular literary form of the Middle Ages A story in which the characters, settings, and events stand for moral concepts

THE PROLOGUE Introduces the situation, setting, and characters 29 pilgrims plus the narrator Leaving London on a pilgrimage to visit the shrine of St Thomas A Becket in Canterbury. Each pilgrim will share a moral tale to entertain themselves Best tale wins a free dinner Begins in April at the Tabbard Inn

THE PROLOGUE The narrator describes each pilgrim’s appearance, occupation, personality These descriptions hint at the pilgrim’s true nature and reflect the people of the Middle Ages 3 categories of medieval society Fighters (Knight, squire) The Church (Monk, Nun, Pardoner) Workers (Doctor, Miller)

CHARACTERIZATION The process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character Direct Characterization: The author tells the reader exactly what the character is like Example: She was incredibly happy as she told the great news Indirect Characterization The reader must use clues to decide what the character is like through the character’s appearance, dialogue, private thoughts, actions, effect on others Example: She was grinning from ear to ear with a sparkle in her eye.

IRONY contrast between expectation and reality Verbal Irony What a writer or speaker says and what he or she believes to be true Example: When something bad happens to your friend, you say, “Well, don’t you have all the luck!” Situational Irony During an event or situation, the reader expects one thing and something different happens Example: “A couple appears in court to finalize a divorce, but during the proceeding, they remarry instead.”