CHAUCER

“THE FATHER OF ENGLISH POETRY”

LIFE

• HE WAS BORN IN LONDON IN 1343 ;

• HE WORKED FOR THE ENGLISH COURT ;

• HE TRAVELLED A LOT BECAUSE HE SPOKE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ;

• HE WENT TO FRANCE AND ITALY ;

• AT THE END OF HIS LIFE HE RENTED A HOUSE IN THE GARDEN OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY ;

• HE DIED IN 1400 AND WAS BURIED IN THE ABBEY.

INFLUENCES

• WHEN HE WENT TO ITALY IN DIPLOMATIC MISSION HE BECAME FAMILIAR WITH ITALIAN LITERATURE ;

• HE MENTIONED ITALIAN WRITERS DANTE AND PETRARCH BUT NEVER BOCCACCIO ;

• PROBABLY HE IMITATED THE FRAME OF BOCCACCIO’S DECAMERON AND A TALE “THE STORY OF GRISELDA”.

PRODUCTIONS• HIS PRODUCTION IS DIVIDED

IN THREE PERIODS : • FRENCH PERIOD , DURING

WHICH HE TRANSLATED “LE ROMAN DE LA ROSE”;

• ITALIAN PERIOD , DURING WHICH HE WROTE “TROYLUS AND CRISEYDE”;

• ENGLISH PERIOD , WHICH IS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE COMPOSED HIS MASTERPIECE “ THE CANTERBURY TALES”.

THE CANTERBURY TALES

• IT IS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF CHAUCER;• IT IS A COLLECTION OF VERSE TALES WRITTEN IN MIDDLE ENGLISH; • THE FRAME IS A PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF St THOMAS

BECKET IN CANTERBURY;• THERE ARE 30 PILIGRIMS, INCLUDING CHAUCER, AND THEY GATHER

IN “THE TABARD INN”, EACH OF THEM HAD TO TELL TWO TALES ON THE ROAD FROM LONDON TO CANTERBURY, AND TWO ON THE WAY BACK;

• HIS INITIAL IDEA WAS TO HAVE 120 TALES, BUT WE HAVE ONLY 23 TALES;

THE PILGRIMS • THE PILGRIMS CAME FROM

DIFFERENT SOCIAL CLASSES ;• NOBLES AND POOR PEOPLE

WERE EXCLUDED, NOBLES BECAUSE THEY HAD MONEY AND MEANS OF TRANSPORTS, POOR PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAD NOT MONEY TO PAY THE JOURNEY.

• CHAUCER’S PILGRIMS STRIKE US FOR THEIR VARIETY : SOME OF THEM ARE CONNECTED WITH THE FEUDAL SYSTEM ( THE KNIGHT,THE SQUIRE…) , OTHERS RELATE TO THE WORLD OF THE CHURCH (THE NUN,THE MONK, THE PARSON…) , YET OTHERS ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF PROFESSIONAL MIDDLE CLASS ( THE LAWYER, THE MERCHANT, THE STUDENT, THE WIFE OF BATH…).

THE WIFE OF BATH

• SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST VIVID CHARACTERS IN THE CANTERBURY TALES, SHE CAME FROM BATH , AN ENGLISH TOWN ;

• SHE WAS AN AGED MIDDLE CLASS WOMEN, SHE MADE CLOTHES;• ACCORDING TO CHAUCER’S DESCRIPTION SHE WAS VERY SENSUAL : IN

FACT SHE WORN RED CLOTHES, HER FACE WAS VERY BOLD, SHE HAD GAP-TEETH ( WHICH WAS A SIGN OF BEING AN“EASY WOMAN”) SHE HAD LARGE HIPS AND FINALLY SHE HAD MARRIED FIVE HUSBANDS ALL AT THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH;

• SHE ATTENDS THE CHURCH TO SHOW HER COSTLY DRESSES,• SHE WAS AS HONOURED THAT OTHER DAMES DARED TO STIR TOWARDS

THE ALTAR STEPS IN FRONT OF HER;• SHE TRAVELLED A LOT, SHE HAD BEEN TO JERUSALEM, BOLOUGNE, ST. • JAMES OF COMPOSTELLA AND ROME;• IN COMPANY SHE LOVED TO LAUGH AND CHAT AND KNEW THE REMEDY OF

LOVE.