Geoffrey ChaucerandThe Canterbury Tales

Early Lifeborn c. 1340son of a prosperous wine merchant

learned Latin, Greek, French, and Italian

joined the royal household and became a trusted messenger and minor diplomat

As a Royal Messenger

Chaucer was frequently sent across the continent on secret business for the King.

Some of these trips were to Italy where he became acquainted with the works of the great Italian authors: Boccaccio, Dante, PetrarchThese 3 were the greatest Italian writers of the early Renaissance period

Other Jobs Chaucer Held…and Learned From...

Controller of Customs on Wools, Skins and Hides for the Port of London Here he would meet many types of businessmen, sailors, travelers

city folk and common laborers

Clerk of the King’s Works In charge of construction and repairs affecting the royal residences;

here he would meet many guildsmen as well as court officials

Deputy Forester of the King’s Forests Away from the city, he met peasants, foresters, local clergy and

other country folk

Representative of the Shire of Kent in Parliament Here he met the rich, the influential and the upper middle class as

well as the higher ranking church officials

Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales is considered Chaucer’s masterpiece

1) First, it marks the beginnings of a new tradition: Chaucer was the first writer to use English vernacular in a major literary work. 2) Secondly, it gives a picture of a cross-section of society during the 1300’s: all classes of medieval society3) Finally, it is a detailed, lifelike, and engaging picture. Chaucer lets his characters speak as they might actually talk.

A FRAME TALE

a large story that is filled with many smaller stories. The ‘frame’ of Canterbury Tales is the trip (the

pilgrimage) to Canterbury.

Characters Chaucer wrote from the

perspective of many different characters.

Through these characters, Chaucer provided a lively look at three distinct groups of people in fourteenth-century England.

These three distinct groups are:

I. Members of the Feudal System• Knight

• Squire• Yeoman• Franklin• Plowman• Miller• Reeve

II. People in Religious LifeNun Monk Friar Cleric Parson Summoner Pardoner

III. The Rising Middle Class Merchant Sergeant at the Law Five Tradesman Cook Skipper Doctor Wife of Bath Manciple Host

London

But why go to Canterbury?

People of all classes went on pilgrimages to holy sites to ask for help with medical, financial or other problems.

Canterbury was a Pilgrimage Site

The Shrine ofSt. Thomas à Becket

Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II. Henry named Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.

Becket’s outspoken style angered the King. One day, Henry complained, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Three knights rode to Canterbury where they found Becket at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.

Becket was murdered at the altar.

The death of Becket angered the peasants who felt his Saxon heritage made him one of them.

Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St. Thomas.

Today, a modern cross made from swords marks the site of the martyrdom.

A close-up of the altar.

The fact that Chaucer wrote in English (Middle English), rather than French or Latin like many of his fellow writers, meant that ordinary folk could enjoy The Canterbury Tales and their vivid characters.

The late 14th century world was still very much one of the spoken word. Books were a rare luxury until the advent of the printing press 70 years later. The educated elite could read, but they preferred to hear texts read out loud for entertainment. The Canterbury Tales, with their earthy humor and vivid dialogue, were a runaway success.

ToneThe tone of a literary work

expresses the writer’s attitude toward the work’s subject or characters.

Can be formal or informal

Creates a mood in the audienceMood: the emotions the

reader feels from the atmosphere of the reading

IronyA contrast between expectation and reality

Verbal irony: when what is said is not what is meant

Dramatic irony: when the reader knows something that a character does not know.

Narrator in the “Prologue” uses an ironic tone to understate his criticisms or say the opposite of what he really thinks.

Verisimilitude

The likeness in a piece of literature to the truth

How well a piece of fiction relates to a realistic event, even if the event is farfetched

Events in a story must be believable and somehow relatable to real life

Poetic ElementsRhyming couplets: every two lines rhyme

together

Iambic Pentameter: ten syllable lines with stressed and unstressed syllablesEach stressed and unstressed syllable is an

iambda-DUH, da-DUH, da-DUH, da-DUH, da-DUH

CharacterizationThe means by which a writer develops a

character’s personality

Can be a description of a character’s physical appearance

Presentation of the character’s speech, thoughts, feelings and actions

How other characters’ speech, thoughts, feelings, and actions relate to the character

Satire A literary technique in which ideas, customs,

behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of bringing about social reform

Can be witty, mildly abrasive, or bitterly cruel

Exaggeration: the truth of something is extended for emphasis or humorous effect.

Parody: imitates or mocks another work or type of literature.

Satire Continued

Exaggeration: the truth of something is extended for emphasis or humorous effect.

Parody: imitates or mocks another work or type of literature.

Incongruity: when something or someone is out of place and does not fit the location or situation.

And thus the story begins...