chaucer and work
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Geoffrey
Chaucerand his
work:
The CanterburyTales
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The Life of Geoffrey Chaucer
The father ofEnglish Poetry
The First Great
Writer in English
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1340
Born in London
1356Became a page in the household ofone of the Kings daughters-in-law
1359Served as a soldier in the war inFrance (taken prisoner but released)
During the1360s
Worked in the Kings household
Married Philippa,a lady-in-waitingto the Queen
Connected to the powerful family ofthe Duke of Lancaster
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1372
Visited Italia,came into contact withthe works of Dante Boccaccio and
Petrarch, realised the importance ofcreating literature in the vernacular
In the1370s and
80s
Occupied various importantpositions in the court
About inthe 80s
Began the Canterbury Tales
Oct.25,
1400
Died and buried in WestminsterAbbey (as Poets Corner)
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What was Chaucer like?
(described himself as ) a
fat man with amodest,simplepersonality
Deeply interested in
religion
But also enjoyed earthyhumour
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Chaucers World and
Time
Three Kings:Edward
Richard
Henry
Dangerous
Time
1. a long ,continuing waragainstFrance
2. disagreementsbetweenthe EnglishKingandthePope
3. The BlackDeath orPlague (infection)
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God is deaf
Religion continued to be a powerful
force
Peoplebelieved
Thatthe Plague wasGodspunishedmentforhumanbeings
BelievedinHell andwere afraid
thatifthey didn
tfollowreligion,they wouldburnineverlastingfires
Results Pilgrimages were popular
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The most famous
pilgrimage in England
to Canterbury
Why?Thomas Becket, who had beenmurdered in CanterburyCathedral,could help the sickand
answer prayers
Somepeople
1.Became pilgrims forauthenticreligious reasons
2.Treated it as a holiday
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Summary
When
Where
who
what
why
how
The middle of thefourteenth century
London---Canterbury
A group of pilgrims
tell stories
Spend time
Each travellershould tell a story
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Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote
The droghte os March hath perced to therote
Than longen folk to go on pilgrimages
When.. With its sweet showersreplaces the dry period of. Then
people desire to go on
.
The Difference between
Medieval and Modern Literature
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Written sometime in the 1380s, The Canterbury Tales -
- the first selection of short stories in English --
is about a group of pilgrims (29 plus the poet) who
agree to tell stories while they travel together toCanterbury, the seat of the English Church (still
Catholic) and the site of the shrine dedicated to
Thomas a Beckett, who was martyred for his faith,
killed by a group of four of Henry IIs knights (1170).
The language of Chaucer -- Middle English -- is a
mixture of Old English, the language of the Anglo-
Saxons, and Norman French, the language of William
the Conqueror (invasion, 1066).
The idea of a frame story (story within a story)
comes from a long tradition: The Arabian Nights and
The Decameron. Chaucer read The Decameron when he
visited Italy.
Originally, he proposed 124 stories; he actually
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The wife of Bath. A good WYF was ther of bisyde BATHE, 445
But she was som-del deef, and that was scathe.
Of cloth-making she hadde swiche an haunt,
She passed hem of Ypres and of Gaunt.
In al the parisshe wyf ne was ther noon That to the offring bifore hir sholde goon; 450
And if ther dide, certeyn, so wrooth was she,
That she was out of alle charitee.
Hir coverchiefs ful fyne were of ground; I dorste swere they weyeden ten pound
That on a Sonday were upon hir heed.
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The wife of Bath.
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