Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucerc. 1343-1400

Considered the father of English poetryWrote in the vernacular – common language of the people (English)Served as a soldier, government servant, and member of ParliamentIntroduced iambic pentameterFirst writer buried in Westminster Abbey

History of the TalesGeoffrey Chaucer began writing the tales around 1387 AD

Incomplete manuscript published 1400AD, the year he died

First book of poetry purposely written in the English language

Set a precedent and poets from Shakespeare to Dryden and Keats to Eliot owe him a debt of gratitude

The Journey Begins . . .Chaucer uses a religious pilgrimage to display all segments of medieval England.The Canterbury Tales begins with a Prologue,

Narrator, presumably Chaucer himself, meets 29 other pilgrims at the Tabard Inn, located in a suburb of London.

As the pilgrims prepare for their journey, the host of the Inn, Harry Bailey, sets a challenge:

Each pilgrim tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two stories on the return trip. The person who tells the best tale will be treated to a feast hosted by the other pilgrims.

The Journey Begins . . .The Canterbury Tales is actually a story about stories, twenty-four different tales set within the overarching tale of the pilgrimage.Narrative structure allowed Chaucer the freedom to create a variety of matter in a unified form

Definition:Frame Story – a story within a story

• The Outer Frame Story is about the pilgrims meeting at the Tabard Inn preparing for a journey to Canterbury.

• The Inner Frame Story would be all the stories told by the assembled pilgrims along their journey to and from Canterbury.

A Literary Tour. . .Chaucer uses the popular genres of his time when he creates the inner stories of the various pilgrims:

Romances (tales of chivalry)• The Wife of Bath’s Tale

Fabliaux (short, bawdy, humorous stories)• The Miller’s Tale

The stories of saint’s lives, sermons• The Parson’s Tale

Allegories (narratives in which characters represent abstractions such as Pride or Honor).

• The Pardoner’s Tale

Chaucer wrote much of the Tales using his own form, the heroic couplet, a pair of rhyming lines with five stressed syllables each.

Artistry of FormDespite being unfinished, clear indications of a planChaucer was writing and collecting whatever occurred to him, but it was likely to find a more firmly constructed structure as it neared completion.

Artistry of LanguageChaucer wrote in English.English was becoming more established widespread.He used verse, which was the norm, but varied it according to his purpose.Despite borrowing much of his material, his use of language injects these tales with new life.

Merits of MeaningChaucer’s tales convey multiple themes.Creates a microcosm of medieval English life. (almost a sociological exploration possible)Paints a multifaceted picture of humanityParodies forms of literatureEntertains

Snapshots of an Era. . .In the Prologue, Chaucer examines three segments of Medieval England:

1. The Old Feudal order – pilgrims associated with the feudal class system.

• Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Plowman . . .

2. The Merchant Class – the rising middle class of the time; towns and cities were emerging and therefore created the need for skilled services:

• Merchant, Man of Law, Guildsmen, Cook . . .

3. The Ecclesiastical (Church) Class –these were members of the church. Chaucer is most critical of this segment of his society.

• Prioress, Monk, Friar, Pardoner . . .

Mastery of CharacterPart of his mastery rests with creating charactersThe characters take turns telling talesThey have depth and verisimilitude Characters are created through:

Physical descriptions (some quite graphic)Characters interacting with each otherThe tales themselves reflecting character (often specifically their personalities and motivations)

Mastery of CharacterCharacterization

Direct characterization - presents direct statements about a character.

• Chaucer’s statement that the Knight “followed chivalry, / Truth, honor. . . .”

Indirect characterization - uses actions, thoughts, and dialogue to reveal a character’s personality.

• By saying “he was not gaily dressed,” for instance, Chaucer suggests that the Knight is not vain and perhaps takes the pilgrimage seriously enough to rush to join it straight from battle.

Snapshots of an Era. . .In the Prologue, Chaucer sketches a brief but vivid portrait of each pilgrim, creating a lively sense of medieval life.

The description may literally describe an article of clothing, but figuratively imply something about that character.

Definition: Satire - a literary composition, in verse or prose, in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn, derision, or ridicule.

Like sarcasm . . . He says one thing, but means another.Our job is to read and comprehend the literal description of each pilgrim, and then, we must figuratively interpret what Chaucer is trying to imply about that pilgrim’s character.

Snapshots of an Era. . .Two types of Satire:

1. Juvenalian - After the Roman satirist Juvenal: Formal satire in which the speaker attacks vice and error with contempt and indignation.{Serious –Critical}2. Horatian - After the Roman satirist Horace: The speaker ridicules the absurdities and follies of human beings, aiming at producing in the reader not the anger of a Juvenal, but a wry smile. {Light – Funny}

So that we might better understand his satirical characterization, Chaucer creates SATIRIC NORMS

A SATIRIC NORM is a character that represents the perfect ideal.

We can then see how BAD everyone else is by comparing them to this Satiric Norm.

Literary Analysis• Each character in The Canterbury Tales represents a

different segment of society in Chaucer’s time. • By noting the virtues and faults of each, Chaucer

provides social commentary, writing that offers insight into society, its values, and its customs.

• While reading, draw conclusions from the characters about Chaucer’s views on English society.