The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) Middle English Major Literary Work

The Canterbury TalesBy

Geoffrey Chaucer(1340-1400)

Middle English Major Literary Work

The Canterbury Tales

Symbols

Springtime

Symbols

Clothing

Symbols

Physiognomy

The Tale

The Narrator

The Tale

The General Prologue

The Tale

The Knight

The Tale

The Wife of Bath

The Tale

The Squire

The Tale

The Pardoner

The Tale

The Prioress 

ThemesThe Pervasiveness of Courtly Love

ThemesThe Importance of Company

ThemesThe Corruption of the Church

TechniqueRomantic Adventure: Like the

knight’s and the squire’s taleFabliaux: a short metrical

tale, usually humorous.Saint’s Biographies

Animal Fables: short tales to teach a moral lesson, often with animals or inanimate objects as characters.

Religious Allegories: representations of abstract or spiritual meanings through concrete or material forms.

Sermon

TonePious and moralistic tales(earnest wish to fulfill religious obligations)

Indecent and vulgar sexual farces(ridiculous situations in which everything goes wrong)

Fabliaux: A younger wife has an affair with a man with a flexible social status (The Miller’s Tale)

Norman Wife

King Ethelred(1002)

Before The Norman Conquest

Edward

1066

William

The Norman Conquest

Edward Godwin

Harold

1066

Political aspects in ME period Feudalism = unfair & out of date laws and customs

Lords, Vassals, Fiefs

William the Conqueror (King)

Lord John (King’s vassal)

Knights (Lord’s vassals)

20 manors as fief

One manor

Political aspects in ME period The Hundred Years War

England VS. FranceEdward III

1337

1453

116 years

Political aspects in ME period

• Edwardian war

• Carolinian war

• Lancastrian war

The Hundred Years War

• Joan of Arc (1429)

Political aspects in ME period The Black Death

Political aspects in ME period The Peasant Revolt

Political aspects in ME period The Crusades

Political aspects in ME period Magna Carta

Political aspects in ME period Restoration and Reformation

Political aspects in ME period Restoration and Reformation

The Main Influences in the ME Period

FrenchFirst Stage (before 1250):• Only 900 words

• French Nobility: baron, noble, servant

• Literature: story, rhyme

• The church

The Main Influences in the ME Period

FrenchSecond Stage (after 1250):• Upper Class started to use English

• Government: crown, empire, traitor, treason

• Rank: prince, princess

• Feudal System: vassal, manor

• Church: religion, sermon, baptism• Rank: clerk, friar, hermit

• Courts: crime, sue, accuse, innocent, just

The Main Influences in the ME Period

FrenchSecond Stage (after 1250):• Army: army, enemy, battle, combat

• Social Life: attire, cape, gown,• Colors: scarlet, blue, brown• Stones: pearl, sapphire, diamonds• English table: dinner, supper, salmon sugar, biscuit

• Domestic Life: chair, couch • Art: tragedy, romance, poet

The Main Influences in the ME Period

Old English• expanding vocabulary by using prefixes and suffixes

• prefix for-: forhang, forcover, forbar • forget, forswear

• prefix with-: withdraw

• suffix –red: hatred, kindred

• suffix –dom: kingdom and freedom.