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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.