The Canterbury Tales

By Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer’s background Born into middle class family in 1340s Had legal training, read a great deal, well

trained in courtly manners Traveled to France for 100 Years’ War,

captured, king helped pay some of his ransom – clearly influenced by French poets

Traveled to Italy in 1370s – clearly influenced by Italian poets Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio

Died around 1400, first to be buried in “Poet’s Corner” in Westminster Abby

Canterbury Tales Clearly influenced by Boccaccio’s Decameron in which a

group of people who fled Florence during plague tell stories Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales features a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury, featuring a wide cast of characters who are all meant to tell stories on the way to, and the way home from Canterbury

Father of English poetry – wrote in the “vernacular” (everyday language spoken in London)

Reflected a positive outlook on life, optimism, faith, and joy all stood out in Chaucer’s work, during a rather dark time in Europe’s history

Departure from alliteration of old English – now using iambic pentameter for meter ( u ⁄ ) – two syllables - unstressed, stressed --- this is one iamb, or

one iambic foot Poetry or music with five iambic feet in a line is iambic

pentameter Chaucer also used rhyming couplets – end rhyme in every pair of

lines See example pg. 99

Canterbury Tales Snap-shot of Middle Ages society

However, as a work filled with satire, it shouldn’t be taken as a completely accurate view of Middle Ages society

Variety of characters, coming from all classes and all walks of life – “everyman” representation

The five main categories/groups: the church lesser nobility laborers greedy professionals dishonest business people

Pg. 103 elements of characterization (direct and indirect)

Canterbury Tales Set in Spring – new life, awakening (the Easter season

in Catholic Church) Pilgrimages:

trips to famous churches and holy sites throughout Europe these sites held pieces of saints’ and martyrs’ body or hair,

remnants of their clothing/possessions, and sometimes stones and rubble from other holy sites

popular practice for all classes – a religious obligation if affordable

Canterbury one of most popular sites in England to visit because of Thomas á Becket

Prologue – quote pg. 101 “Frame story” – the pilgrimage is the frame for the

entire set of tales, and tales themselves have thematic unity

Key questions/ideas Look for example of courtly love/chivalrous

romance Chaucer's view of religion and the Catholic

Church Where did Chaucer come up with the ideas for

these stories? Look for “irony” in the tales – discrepancies

between what one expects to happen, when actually the opposite takes place

In what ways does Chaucer “satirize” the characters and their professions/roles in medieval society?