1. Canterbury Tales Intro English 12 Writing

2. Feudalism  Result of the Norman invasion with combined the Norman emphasis on law with Anglo-Saxon democracy and culture  Caste system (social class)  Military system  Property system  System of social behavior  Top of the ladder: William the Conqueror

3. What are the Canterbury Tales?  Written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1381 and 1386  Historically, what was going at this time in England?  CT is an example of:  Frame story : a story within a story  Satire : a literary technique of writing or art which principally ridicules its subject often as an intended means of provoking or preventing change  Allegory : an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances

4. The Basic Plot  A group of English people from various backgrounds go on a pilgrimage to Canterbury, England, to visit the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket.  What is a pilgrimage, and why do people go on them?  They meet at the Tabard Inn in Southwark.  The host, Harry Bailey, decides to create a story- telling contest.  On the way to the shrine, they tell one another stories.

5. The Pilgrims – A Recap  The pilgrims are divided into three social classes for the most part: nobility, clergy, and everyone else (back in the Middle Ages, these are the only classes that existed).

6. Nobility  Nobility was the second highest class in the Middle Ages, coming only after royalty. This included knights, lords and courtiers.  Noble pilgrims: The Knight, The Squire, and The Yeoman (although technically a servant, he works for the Knight and so is included).

7.  In the Middle Ages, the Orthodox Catholic Church received much criticism. Throughout the tales, Chaucer pokes fun at these people involved with the church.  The pilgrims: The Prioress (the nun), The Nun’s Priests, The Friar, The Monk, The Parson, The Pardoner, The Summoner, and The Clerk (the Oxford Cleric). Clergy

8.  Upper, middle, and lower classes were not defined in the Middle Ages. Of course, there were those with more money than others, so the rest can be divided into two subgroups.  The “upper” class: The Wife of Bath, The Merchant, The Franklin, The Skipper, The Manciple, The Reeve, The Miller, The Physician, The Lawyer, The Host.  The “working” class: The Weaver, The Dyer, The Carpenter, The Tapestry Maker, The Cook, The Haberdasher (The Guildsmen). The Rest

9. The Good…  Notice how Chaucer’s tone changes when he describes the different pilgrims. There are some with whom we can find nothing wrong; these are known as the “ideal characters,” or those whom Chaucer created to be morally good.  The five ideal characters are The Knight, The Squire, The Clerk, The Parson and The Plowman.

10. The Bad…  Chaucer disagreed with MANY of the things the church was doing in the Middle Ages. His clergy characters are almost all shady, greedy, and hypocritical; only The Parson is spared Chaucer’s ridicule and mocking.  The pilgrims whom Chaucer offends are The Monk, The Friar, The Pardoner, The Summoner, and The Reeve.

11. …and the Ugly.  In the Middle Ages, people believed that a person’s physical traits signified his or her moral character. The study of how looks affected personality was considered a “pseudo-science” called physiognomy.  The Wife of Bath’s gap tooth signifies sexual knowledge and promiscuity; The Cook’s ulcer (moral disease); The Miller’s wart (lechery/sexual misconduct); The Pardoner’s blond hair (sexual ambiguity).

12. Everybody has a story

13. Quick-Write Prompt Describe a journey you have been on. Your quick-write should tell the reader:  Why you were on the journey  What you discovered on your journey  Who took that journey with you  What essential items you took with you  How the nature of your journey dictated who the other members of your group were Note: This may be read by members of your class, depending on our time, so write accordingly.