The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer

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The Canterbury Tales Geoffrey Chaucer

• Introductory Notes

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Chaucer1343?-1400

• Ranks second to Shakespeare as Englands GREATEST
  writer
• Died before finishing Tales. Chaucer wrote 24 of
  the proposed 124 tales.
• First to be buried in Poets Corner of
  Westminster Abbey
• Father of English Poetry
• The Canterbury Tales ranks as one of the worlds
  finest works of literature!! (and we GET to read
  it! Woo hoo!)
• Chaucer was from a wealthy class (not royalty)
• Worked as a page , connected to King Edward III
• Served in English army and was captured and held
  prisoner by the French (what war??)
• Began writing poetry in his 20s (there is still
  hope for yall)
• Actually took a pilgrimage to Canterbury,
  starting at the Tabard Inn in Southwark.

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The Tales

• Begins with a prologue that describes all the
  pilgrims going to Canterbury, England
• Pilgrims are people on a pilgrimage (long
  religious journey)
• The prologue sets up the FRAME WORK for the
  tales.
• C.Tales is an example of a FRAME STORY
  (story(ies) within a story)

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Tales

• Written in ENGLISH!! (A no, no!!)
• Written in iambic pentameter couplets (5 iambs
  per line, both lines rhyme)
• 7 line stanzas
• 24 were written of the projected 124 (Chaucer
  dies before finishing)
• Pilgrims are going to Canterbury, England from
  Tabard Inn in Southwark, England to worship at
  the shrine of Thomas a Becket, (now St. Thomas)

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The time period

• At least once in their lifetime, people
  made a pilgrimage (religious journey) to the
  shrine of St. Thomas á Becket in the city of
  Canterbury
• Becket had been the archbishop of Canterbury
• He was murdered in his own cathedral
• Chaucer uses this idea of a pilgrimage to help
  form his frame story.

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• Each pilgrim would tell TWO tales each way
• Tales represented three segments of society-
  CHURCH, COURTS (government), COMMON FOLK
• Two of the tales are written in prose (not verse)

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Storys Elements

• Setting Southwark, England-Tabard Inn- Spring
• Characters29 pilgrimshostChaucer31 (another
  joined later32
• Chaucer himself is a character in the poem as a
  short, plump, slightly foolish pilgrim who
  commands no great respect
• Plot Pilgrims are going to Canterbury to Shrine
  of St. Thomas
• Each tells a tale-2 going and 2 returning
• Best tale wins dinner at Tabard
• Host (Harry Bailey) will be the judge

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• Main Theme-Church is not all that it appears to
  be. Chaucer was trying to reveal corruption
  within the Catholic church.
• Other Themes each tale has its own point to make.

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Physiognomy

• People of the time believed STRONGLY in
  physiognomyit is a persons physical appearance
  in relationship to a persons personality/characte
  r.
• Body was made up of 4 humours-body fluids. Blood,
  yellow bile, black bile and phlegm.

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• Sanguine- blood (red)--cheerful
• Choleric- yellow bileangry
• Phlegmatic- phlegmgloomy
• Melancholy- Black bile--apathy

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• Red hair-quick tempered
• Gapped teeth-bold, aggressive, traveler, amorous
  (sexy)
• Buxom-jolly
• Broad forehead-intelligent, good breeding
• Very thin-stingy, bad-tempered
• Neat-pride
• White neck-sign of evil
• Wearing red-aggressive
• Wearing black-melancholy (sad, depressed)
• Wearing blue-constant in love
• Wearing gold and black-a Cougar fan!!

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Characterization

• Definition-METHOD by which an author creates the
  appearance AND personality of characters
• Round characters-fully developed
• Flat characters-little or no development (one
  dimensional)
• Dynamic-changes/grows/learns
• Static-doesnt change

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Direct vs. Indirect

• Direct Method- Direct description of physical
  appearance and the explanation of character
  traits and attributes. The author TELLS the
  reader what sort of person the character is.
• Indirect Method- reader must infer from
• What the character
• Says
• Thinks
• Does
• Appearance description
• Other characters statements/thoughts

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• The End