1. Geoffrey Chaucer

2. Think of a long trip you have had to take in the past…. What did you do to pass the time?

3. Tale of thirty pilgrims on their way to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket. These people represent diverse ages, social classes, and interests They tell stories to pass the time

4. A long journey to a shrine or holy site, undertaken by people who wish to express their devotion Canterbury Cathedral main focus of Chaucer’s pilgrimage: St. Thomas a Becket was murdered there in 1170.

5. Was murdered by four knights of Henry II Henry and Becket had a long- standing feud According to some, the King said, “By the eyes of God, is there not one who will deliver me from this low born priest?”

6. Thinking the king wanted Becket dead, four knights went to Canterbury Cathedral to kill Becket. When the King realized what they were doing, he sent a messenger to stop them, but he was too late. Becket was canonized in 1174.

7. Was originally supposed to consist of 120 tales, two told by each pilgrim on the way there and two told by each on the return trip. Only completed twenty-two tales and two fragments before his death.

8. Chaucer presents his observations as a companion pilgrim (narrator)

9. Satirizes and comments on the people and problems of his time Reveals the paradoxes of human life Exposes the best and worst of human nature in both historical and personal context

10. In creating the tales, Chaucer mastered several challenges: Each tale had to match the teller’s character, experience, interests, and purpose Examples: Knight- tale of chivalry Parson- virtuous but dull Miller- vulgarity Tales had to be pleasing all together The contest framework and audience’s attention span necessitated variety

11. Fairy tale- story taking place in a fantasy world of incredible characters and events Metrical or Chivalric Romance- long narrative poem filled with adventure, love, knightly conflict, and magic Miracle story- religious story based on stories of the saints or miraculous events Saint’s Legend- tale of inspirational acts or martyrdom Myth-retelling of a classical myth

12. Beast fable- animal characters with human qualities; clever tale that preaches a moral lesson Exemplum- allegory/sermon that illustrates a moral lesson (done through characters and actions) Moral Tale- tale to inspire moral conduct in the listener Sermon- an oratory preaching a Christian message Breton Lais- set in the Brittany region of France; tales, Celtic in origin, of magic, fairies, folklore, and courtly love

13. Mock Heroic-ridicule, by imitation, of chivalric literature and heroic characters Mock Romance-ridicule of chivalric romance by parody Mock epic- satirical use of the epic form to portray insignificant characters and events Fabliau- folk version of the metrical romance; coarse & crude

14. How believable is Chaucer’s portrayal of knights as loyal, fearless, persevering, courteous, gentle, devout, and humble? Chaucer’s knight is battle- scarred, but he is credible.

15. Chaucer’s knight is a critique of the chivalric code. Traditionally by law, the knight was obliged to uprightness Often, honor and status was inherited by noble birth

16. Chaucer’s knight = compressed paradox Chaucer’s knight breaks away from artificial condition of birth by not coming from nobility He lives up to an aristocracy of the soul instead

17. Inner Qualities Outer Appearance

18. Inner Qualities persevering humble courteous Christian cosmopolitan key virtues of ideal knight Outer Appearance  battle-scarred  stained  seriously dressed

19. Ideal Knight truthful honest honorable courageous avenging wrongs helps ladies gentle follow rules Realistic Knight  courage  loyalty  treachery  deceit  abuse of women & churchmen  disloyalty  cowardice  greed

20. Chaucer uses the following techniques to expose character. Physical description: Miller-Red as the bristles in an old sow’s ear Lines that build up in order to put down: Friar-Sweetly he heard his penitents at shrift/With pleasant absolution, for a gift. Motivation: Plowman- … and he would help the poor/For love of Christ Association: Monk-He had a wrought-gold cunningly fashioned pin:/Into a lover’s knot it seemed to pass.

21. Chaucer’s admiration: Host- What’s more he was a merry-hearted man. Chaucer’s condemnation: Reeve- Feared like the plague he was, by those beneath. Chaucer’s toleration: Summoner- He was a noble varlet (scoundrel) and a kind one Show authenticity: Plowman-At no misfortune, slacked for no content./For steadily about his work he went Lack of authenticity: Pardoner-He had a cross of metal set with stones/And, in a glass, a rubble of pigs’ bones.

22. Select the one pilgrim you would most like to accompany on a trip. Write a paragraph identifying your choice and explaining your reasons. Common Answers: Squire (close to students’ age), Miller (vulgar but entertaining), and he knight (interesting stories), and Parson (a really good man)

23. Brainstorm a list of occupations. Arrange the occupations in hierarchical order. Ex: Is a doctor higher than a lawyer? Is a teacher lower than a nurse? Where would a politician rank? Where would a plumber or electrician rank? Where would a drug dealer fit?

24. What would be contemporary counterparts to Chaucer’s characters?

25. most fair. (a) Where war and wrack and wonder (b) By shifts have sojourned there (a) And bliss by turns with blunder (b) In that land's lot had share. (a) Notice the last five lines of the stanza above. Each stanza closes with five short lines that rhyme. This pattern is known as the bob and wheel. The first of the rhyming lines contains just one beat and is called the "bob." The four three-beat lines that follow are called the "wheel."