III. The Medieval Period

1
III. The Medieval Period

• Introduction
• 1. the medieval mindpost apocalyptic
• 2. bad times / hard
• times

2
A. Introduction to Medieval Literature

• The allegorical mind
• --seeing the great code
• --spiritual reality behind the physical
  world
• The concept of God in the medival culture
• The concept (personification) of Death

3
B. Chaucer the Father of English Literature
4
B. Chaucer

• Biographical background
• Father of English LiteratureWhy?
• a.
• b.
• c.

5
B. Geoffrey Chaucer

• The Canterbury Tales
• The use of the frame story device
• 1. what it is
• 2. Chaucers Frame Story
• a. The frame is as important
• b. pilgrims are a cross section of med-
• ieval life

6
The travelers at the Tabard Inn
7
3. The Canterbury Tales

• The Art of the Canterbury Tales
• a.
• b.
• c.

8
4. The Prologue

• Characters as types
• Rich detail
• Allegorical level
• of
• the pilgrims and
• their
• journey

9
5. The Pardoners Tale

• What was a pardoner?
• 1.
• 2.
• Chaucers Pardoner a complete
• fraud

10
6. The Millers Tale

• What is a miller?
• The genrefablieau
• Two stock plots

11
7. The Reeves Tale

• Response to the Miller
• What is a reeve?
• The unity of the tales
• theme with the frames
• theme

12
8. The Wife of Baths Tale
13
8. The Wife of Baths Tale

• The Character of the Wife of
• Bath (whats Bath?)
• 1. archetypal (Venus and
• Mars)
• 2. married five times
• (nos. 1, 2, and 3
• elderly and dominated)
• no. 4cheated, but she brought him back by
  pretending her own affair

14
8. Wife of Baths Tale (continued)

• no. 5the only one she truly loved (he was
  young) and who made her miserable
• worldly, honest, plain-spoken, sexual (uses it
  for pleasure and for power)
• Fifth marriage (to Jankin) mirrors the marriage
  in the tale

15
8. Wife of Bath

• The Tale
• 1. the tale mirrors the pilgrim
• 2. medieval romance
• 3. character of the knight (all men)--ugly

16
8. Wife of Baths Tale

• 3. character of the knight (all men)--ugly
• no honor
• no respect
• no gratitude
• no courage
• snobbish
• thinks only of self

17
8. Wife of Baths Tale

• 4. character of the old woman
• reflection of the Wife
• rebukes knights
• snobbery three ways
• 5. Main theme of the Tale

18
8. Wife of Bath

• Fairy Tale aspect
• a.
• b.
• Conclusion What Makes Chaucer great?