1. Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

2. Medieval Social Theories  Nobility-small hereditary aristocracy; born to rule and defend  Church-spiritual welfare  Everyone else- the great mass of people

3. Chaucer  Born into the growing middle class  Served in the royal household  Visited France and Italy on behalf of the crown during the 1360s and 1370s Exposed him to literature in Europe  Chaucer’s career illustrates the economic, political, and social issues of the late 14 th century England

4. History of the Tales  Geoffrey Chaucer began writing the tales around 1387 AD  Uncompleted manuscript published 1400AD, the year he died So we don’t know the final order of the tales.

5. History of the Tales  Originally planned for 120 tales, but only 22 were completed  First book of poetry purposely written in the English language  Set a precedent and poets from Shakespeare to Dryden and Keats to Eliot owe him a debt of gratitude

6. Artistry of Form  As a work of art it encompasses individuality and universality  Narrative structure allowed Chaucer the freedom to create a variety of matter in a unified form  Many genres incorporated…

7. Artistry of Form  Different genres give different views of the world, different vocabularies, and different images of truth Fabliaux (Miller’s Tale) deals with basic human needs of food, sex, or money Romance (Knight’s Tale) deals with human emotions and relationships Moral Tales (Pardoner’s Tale) deals with orthodox morality And more…

8. Artistry of Form (cont’d.)  Despite being unfinished, clear indications of a plan  Each pilgrim to tell at least two stories maybe more  Chaucer was writing and collecting whatever occurred to him, but it was likely to find a more firmly constructed structure as it neared completion.

9. Artistry of Language  Chaucer wrote in English  It was becoming more solid and widespread  He used verse, which was the norm, but varied it according to his purpose  Despite borrowing much of his material, his use of language injects these tales with new life

10. Mastery of Character  Part of his master rests with creating characters  The characters take turns telling tales  They have depth and depict the truth

11. Mastery of Character  Chaucer’s choice of characters wide- ranging in terms of class, etc.  Chaucer's choice of narratives wide- ranging  Characters are created through: Physical descriptions (some quite graphic) Characters interacting with each other The tales themselves reflecting character (often specifically their personalities and motivations)

12. Mastery of Character  Though the tales depict an accurate picture of life in Medieval England, there are some incorrect details: Pilgrims all ride horses (this would have been unusual) These particular characters probably would not be found together No stops along the way (at night or for some of the shrines) No devotional activity, which would have been common; not even stops for mass

13. Merits of Meaning  Chaucer is free to use tales to convey multiple themes  Creates a close look of medieval English life (almost a sociological exploration possible)  Paints a multifaceted picture of humanity  Parodies forms of literature  Entertains