1. The Canterbury Tales More exciting than a trip to Medieval Times… because it really is Medieval Times!

2. The Medieval Period Lasted for roughly a millennium Divided into 3 periods: –Early The Church and Monasticism –Middle (the Middle Ages) The Crusades –High Hundred Year’s War First sustained urbanization of northern and western Europe Feudal System

4. Pilgrimage A journey to a sacred place In religion or spirituality, a long journey with great moral significance Sometimes a journey to a shrine Modern-day pilgrimages?

5. Medieval Pilgrimage People took pilgrimages for spiritual reasons (many believing the journey would secure them a place in heaven), to seek cures for illnesses, or for personal peace Medieval pilgrimages brought rich and poor together despite the fact that there was a rigid class system Pilgrims traveled in groups because there was safety in numbers There were places along the way that catered to pilgrims –Monastic (everyone was guaranteed food and shelter) –Soon there was not enough room in monasteries because so many pilgrims were traveling, so inns and boarding houses began to pop up –These places allowed people to learn about one another

6. Chaucer’s Pilgrimage Story Narrator meets 29 pilgrims at the Tabard Inn (in a suburb of London) Pilgrims traveling to Canterbury, a town 55 miles Southeast of London –Cathedral in Canterbury was the site of Archbishop Thomas a Becket’s murder The host of the Inn tries to make the journey more interesting by offering a reward to the person who can tell the best story on the journey The Canterbury Tales is a collection of all the stories told on the pilgrimage

7. The Prologue Introduction to all of the pilgrims Creates a lively sense of Medieval life A great literary achievement all by itself –“The description of the various pilgrims turn in rapid sequence from an article of clothing to a point of character and back again with no apparent organization or desire for it. Yet so effective is this artful artlessness that each pilgrim stands out sharply as a type of medieval personality and also as a highly individualized character…” – Vincent Hopper

8. Chaucer’s Storytellers The Aristocracy –Status based on birth and tradition The Knight The Squire The Prioress The Nun’s Priest The Second Nun Canon’s Yeoman The Monk The Friar

9. Chaucer’s Storytellers The Upper Class –Status based on acquired wealth The Merchant The Man of Law The Clerk The Franklin

10. Chaucer’s Storytellers The Middle Class –Status based on mastery of a trade The Cook The Shipman The Physician The Wife of Bath

11. Chaucer’s Storytellers The Virtuous Lower Class –Poor but virtuous The Parson Mr. Helgeson

12. Chaucer’s Storytellers The Degraded Lower Class –Those of low manners or questionable morals The Manciple The Miller The Reeve The Summoner The Pardoner

13. Literary Significance There were several different types of literature in Chaucer’s time Popular genres included –Romances (tales of chivalry) –Fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous tales) –Stories of saint’s lives, sermons, or allegories (characters represent abstractions such as pride and honor) All of the major forms of Medieval literature are represented in The Canterbury Tales The pilgrims tell tales consistent with their character

14. Chaucer as an Author Considered the father of English poetry –Perfected a new poetic form Meter and sound of Old English no longer suited the changing English language –Used French influence –Often used the heroic couplet Pair of rhyming lines with 5 stressed syllables each