1. Literary devices and structure
The Canterbury Tales
Literary devices and structure

2. Frame Story
a story that sets up a framework for other smaller narratives to be told during
Examples – The Princess Bride and The Breakfast Club

3. Allusion
Allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.

4. Examples of Allusion in Everyday Speech
“Don’t act like a Romeo in front of her.”
– “Romeo” is a reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo, a passionate lover of Juliet, in “Romeo and Juliet”.
The rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora’s box of crimes.
– This is an allusion to one of Greek Mythology’s origin myth, “Pandora’s box”.
“This place is like a Garden of Eden.”
–This is a biblical allusion to the “garden of God” in the Book of Genesis.

5. Characterization
the process by which the writer reveals the personality of a character.

6. Characterization Continued
Chaucer does this in the following ways…
• by telling us directly what the character is like
• by describing how the character looks and dresses
• by presenting the character’s words and actions
• by revealing the character’s private thoughts and feelings
• by showing how other people respond to the character

7. Point of View
In literature, point of view is the mode of narration that an author employs to let the readers “hear” and “see” what takes place in a story, poem, essay etc.
Examples of point of view belong to one of these three major kinds:
1. First person point of view involves the use of either of the two pronouns “I” and “we”.
2. Second person point of view employs the pronoun “you”.
3. Third person point of view uses pronouns like “he”, “she”, “it”, “they” or a name.

8. Imagery
Imagery means to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses.
Painting a mental picture

9. Examples of Imagery
It was dark and dim in the forest. – The words “dark” and “dim” are visual images.
The children were screaming and shouting in the fields. - “Screaming” and “shouting” appeal to our sense of hearing or auditory sense.
He whiffed the aroma of brewed coffee. – “whiff” and “aroma” evoke our sense of smell or olfactory sense.
The girl ran her hands on a soft satin fabric. – The idea of “soft” in this example appeals to our sense of touch or tactile sense.
The fresh and juicy orange are very cold and sweet. – “ juicy” and “sweet” when associated with oranges have an effect on our sense of taste or gustatory sense.

10. Rhythm
The word rhythm is derived from rhythmos (Greek) which means, “measured motion”. Rhythm is a literary device which demonstrates the long and short patterns through stressed and unstressed syllables particularly in verse form.

11. Rhythm in Literature Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
(Romeo Juliet by Shakespeare)

12. Three Social Levels of Pilgrims in the General Prologue
The Aristocracy i.e. upper class or nobility
The Clergy - those ordained by the church
The Manoral or Middle Class
The Peasants – left unmentioned in the Canterbury Tales
Leaders, workers, prayers or fighters

13. The Concept of Physiognomy
Your outside tells about your inside.
Real vs. ideal

14. The Concept of Inflation and Deflation
• In each character description in the prologue (usually in a couplet) Chaucer first inflates the character with a positive or good attribute and then deflates them with a negative or bad attribute.
• Line A will be positive, and Line B will be negative.