Lecture Goals

• General Prologue Portraits

Discussion of Estates Satire and Chaucer’s voicing

Miller’s Tale

Contemporary Estates Satire

• Mean Girls

Chaucer Challenge

• Optional contest – extra credit toward course participation grade

• Write your own General Prologue—set at UCSD

• E-Submit to Prof. Lampert-Weissig by 5 pm Oct. 28 (llampert@ucsd.edu) Subject heading: Chaucer challenge

Thinksheet Week 2• Due at the beginning of your section• Double-spaced, typed. ½ to one full page. No more than one page.• • Read through each of the following portraits carefully:• • The Monk (lines 165-207)• The Friar (lines 209-271)• The Clerk (lines 287-310)• The Parson (lines 480-530)• • Pick ONE of these portraits and respond to the following about it:• • 1. Make a list of 3-5 important details in the pilgrim’s portrait.• • 2. What kind of details are these? Ironic? Serious? What is their effect?• How do they work to create this effect?• • 3. How would you characterize the point of view of the narrator? •

Chaucer—social chameleon

• Died. 1400. Wrote in Middle English

• A poet with a good day job

• Master of irony

• “Father of English Poetry”

Chaucer reading

The Canterbury Tales

• Frame Tale—The General Prologue

–Pilgrimage

–First 18 lines

•Spring fever

•Virtuoso poetry

Canterbury Cathedral

The Canterbury Tales

• Frame Tale—The General Prologue

–Pilgrimage

–First 18 lines

•Spring fever

•Virtuoso poetry

Frame Tale

• The Host’s Proposal

• Sentence and Solaas

• Dramatic feel of the CT

Chaucer’s Voicing

• Perspective and Point of View

• Chaucer’s “disclaimer” l. 717 ff

• GP—9th edition, page 243

•                                                                       

             •

Estates Satire

• The Three Estates

• Social Commentary

Three Estates

Selected Portraits

• The Knight l. 43

• The Squire l. 79

• The Prioress l. 118

• The Sergeant of the Law l. 311

• The Summoner l. 625

• The Parson l. 479

                                               

Squire

Prioress

Monk

Friar

Summoner

Pardoner

Clerk

Franklin

Cook

Shipman

Physician

Parson (line 479)

Miller (line 547)

The Miller

The Miller

MT:The Miller l. 547

p. 264 (9th)

Miller

Summoner

Riding with Reeve and Pardoner Line 544 ff.

Summoner

The Miller’s Tale

• Follows the Knight’s Tale

KT is a romance in high style

Classical Allusion/Fate

What is the reaction to the KT? Lines 1-5

“Quiting”

• The Miller “quites” the Knight–Absolon “quites” Nicholas

–Estates Satire • Chaucer’s “disclaimer” (GP, l. 745 ff)

–Peasant’s Rebellion 1381• Whan Adam delved and Eve span,

–Who was then the gentleman?

1381 Rebellion—Wat Tyler

•

Genre vs. Genre

• Romance (Knight’s Tale)

• Fabliau (Miller’s Tale)

Cast of Characters

• A. Carpenter l. 80 ff

• B. “hende” Nicholas l. 91 ff

• C. Alison l. 112 ff

• D. Absolon l. 204 ff

The Seduction l. 163 ff

• Physical and direct

• Parody of Courtly Love

The Plot with the Tubs

Absolon at the window

• Woos Alison with “courtly” language l. 590 ff

• Comedy emphasized through meter—line 639

No man his reson herde

• Morality in the fabliaux?

• How can we understand this genre?

How does this tale “quit” the KT?

• Emily and Alison– Line 632 “Teehee” vs.– Emily’s plea for Virginity

Quitting the KT

• Treatment of courtliness/courtly love

• Treatment of chivalry—the tub plot