Geoffrey Chaucer’sThe Canterbury TalesENG 400: British Literature

Unit I: From Legend to History

Background InformationThe Canterbury Tales

Who Was Geoffrey Chaucer? Geoffrey Chaucer (1343? – 1400)

Born into a middle-class family As a teen, was sent to work in a

royal household Served in the English army Married a lady-in-waiting to the

queen Had a son who married a wealthy

noblewoman, continuing the family’s rise in social class

Chaucer continued . . .

Began writing in his twenties Started out imitating famous poets, but

developed own style as he got older Invented his own poetic form, the

heroic couplet, and used it for The Canterbury Tales heroic couplet: paired rhyming lines

written in iambic pentameter (10 syllables following a light-heavy stress pattern)

Known as the father of English poetry

The Canterbury Tales: Chaucer’s Great Unfinished Work

Written in Chaucer’s later years Narrative poem about members of

medieval society making a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral (literary epic) Pilgrimage: a long journey to a shrine or holy

place

In 1170, Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered while at his evening prayers. He was made a saint in 1173, and his tomb became a popular place for pilgrims to visit.

The Canterbury Tales continued . . .

Characters (pilgrims) tell each other stories to pass time on the journey (pilgrimage)

Reveals details about medieval society Characters come from all classes of society

Stories come from all types of literature

Chaucer planned to write 120 tales (4 tales for each pilgrim) but only completed 24.

The PrologueThe Canterbury Tales

Structure

Frame Story

Social Context

Social Commentary

Structure of The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales consists of A prologue that

introduces the characters and explains how they came to travel together

120 tales told by the pilgrims on their way to and from Canterbury Cathedral (only 24 completed)

The Prologue as Frame Story Frame Story: The Prologue acts as the “frame” that

surrounds and connects the tales told by each pilgrim.

120 Tales:each pilgrim tells his/her stories on the way to and from Canterbury Cathedral

Prologue: acts as the frame that holds the different tales together

The Pilgrims’ Journey

Distance: about 56 miles

Travel Time: at least 4 days

Beginning: The Tabard Inn

Destination: Canterbury Cathedral

Medieval Society

AristocracyStatus based on birth and tradition

(nobles, people with titles)

Upper ClassStatus based on acquired

wealth(plenty of money, but no titles)

Middle ClassStatus based on mastery of a

trade(craftsmen, shopkeepers, etc.)

Virtuous Lower ClassPoor but virtuous

(doing the right thing)

Degraded Lower Class

Those of low manners or questionable morals

Social Commentary in The Canterbury Tales

The pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales come from different levels of society.

The diverse group is brought together by a common goal: the pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral.

Chaucer’s characters are very well-defined and well-developed, each with his/her own flaws and virtues.

Several of the pilgrims represent different types of people from the Church, an important institution in medieval society.

Chaucer’s detailed look at medieval life provides social commentary, or insight into his society, its values, and its customs.

Focus Question: What commentary does Chaucer seem to make about the Church as an institution?

Reading the TextThe Canterbury Tales

Characterization

Vocabulary

Chunking

Questioning the Text

Literary Element: Characterization

Chaucer uses characterization to reveal information about the characters (pilgrims).

There are 2 main types of characterization: Direct: The author presents direct

statements about a character.

Indirect: The author uses actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal a character’s traits and personality.

Characterization Practice Are the following statements about

George examples of direct or indirect characterization? Jenny thought that George was the best

brother in the world.

Basketball was George’s favorite sport.

George spent most of his time on the basketball court.

“George!” his mother cried, “are you ever going to clean your room? Something’s growing in there!”

indirect (thought)directindirec

t (action)indirect (dialogue)

The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary

absolution (n)• act of freeing someone of a sin or

criminal charge

commission (n)• authorization; act of giving authority to

an individual or group

garnished (adj)• decorated; trimmed

The Canterbury Tales Vocabulary continued . . .

prevarication (n)• evasion or avoidance of the truth (not

quite lying)

sanguine (adj)• confident; cheerful

solicitous (adj)• showing care or concern; wanting to help

Reading Strategy:Chunking

As readers, we need to break a long text up into pieces to digest and understand them.

Writers break their texts up into digestible pieces by using paragraphs (prose) and stanzas (poetry).

Sometimes, however, we may need to break these pieces into even smaller morsels in order to comprehend a passage. This is called chunking and is a useful strategy for longer and/or more complex texts that convey a lot of information to be organized and understood.

Look for natural divisions between ideas indicated by end punctuation and conjunctions.

Follow your instincts; often you can sense the shift between ideas without quite knowing how.

Chunk #3

Chunk #2

Chunk #1

Reading Strategy:Chunking continued . . .It happened in that season that one day

In Southwark, at The Tabard, as I lay

Ready to go on pilgrimage and start

For Canterbury, most devout at heart,

At night there came into that hostelry

Some nine and twenty in a company

Of sundry folk happening then to fall

In fellowship, and they were pilgrims all

That towards Canterbury meant to ride.

The rooms and stables of the inn were wide;

They made us easy, all was of the best.

And shortly, when the sun had gone to rest,

By speaking to them all upon the trip

I soon was one of them in fellowship

And promised to rise early and take the way

To Canterbury, as you heard me say.

Reading Strategy:Questioning the Text

When you do not understand a long, involved sentence you are reading, repair your comprehension by questioning.

To pull the essential information from a chunk of text, ask the good old standby questions: Who? What? When? Where? How? Why? How?

Once you have most or all of those answers, go back to the text to fill in the details.

Chunk #3:

What?How?Why?

Chunk #2:

Who?

Chunk #1:

When?Where?

Reading Strategy:Chunking & QuestioningIt happened in that season that one day

In Southwark, at The Tabard, as I lay

Ready to go on pilgrimage and start

For Canterbury, most devout at heart,

At night there came into that hostelry

Some nine and twenty in a company

Of sundry folk happening then to fall

In fellowship, and they were pilgrims all

That towards Canterbury meant to ride.

The rooms and stables of the inn were wide;

They made us easy, all was of the best.

And shortly, when the sun had gone to rest,

By speaking to them all upon the trip

I soon was one of them in fellowship

And promised to rise early and take the way

To Canterbury, as you heard me say.

Essential Question NotesThe Canterbury Tales

EQ1: What Is the Relationship between Literature and Place?

Making a nation of an island

A diverse group working toward a common goal

Review textbook page 8.

Timely Events Social TrendsShowing,

Not Lecturing

Rising Middle Class Human Stories

EQ2: How Does Literature Shape or Reflect Society? (Pg. 10)

EQ3: What Is the Relationship of the Writer to Tradition? (Pg. 12)

Chaucer both borrowed from and created new literary traditions.

epic

frame story

wider view of society

heroic couplet / iambic pentameter

traditional types of stories