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The Canterbury Tales

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Title: The Canterbury Tales


1
The Canterbury Tales
2
The Canterbury Tales
What is the book about? What are some
significant historical issues? What are important
stylistic elements? Why is The Canterbury Tales
important in the development of the English
language?
3
What is the book about?
  • The Canterbury Tales is a series of 24 tales told
    by a vast representation of late Middle Age
    English folk on a pilgrimage to Canterbury
    Cathedral, mid-April, 1387.
  • They agree to engage in a storytelling contest,
    mediated by the owner of the pub where they first
    meet, located in Southwark, just over the London
    Bridge.
  • They are heading to the shrine of Saint Thomas à
    Becket, the archbishop murdered there on
    Christmas, 1170, by the knights of Henry II.
  • Originally, it was meant to contain two tales
    going to the cathedral, and two coming back, as
    told by each pilgrim, but Chaucer never finished
    the work, and of the thirty pilgrims, we hear
    from 23 (one tells two tales) going.

4
Historic Elements
  • Recall that Thomas à Becket was murdered because
    he refused to appease Henry II by petitioning
    Rome to get rid of the ecclesiastic courts or
    at least to put Henry in charge of them.
  • Thomas is considered a martyr for the Church and
    was almost immediately canonized. Twelve
    miracles quickly came to light that he had
    performed, which are presented in beautiful
    stained glass windows in the cathedral.
  • By the time Chaucer is writing The Canterbury
    Tales, about 200 years later, society is not
    exactly so pious

5
Historic Elements
  • The pilgrims in Chaucers work are truly a motley
    group. The Canterbury Tales represents a vast
    representation of people and occupations from the
    late Middle Ages in England. Historians have
    looked to the Prologue to discover aspects of
    medieval life, including what people did and how
    they thought.
  • The changes from the medieval world to the
    ideology of the Renaissance are beginning, and
    these are represented in the attitudes of the
    pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales.

6
Historic Elements
  • Some of these changes include
  • Social mobility
  • Physical mobility
  • Ideals of love
  • The role of women
  • The changes in attitude towards the church
  • Changing attitudes towards the notion of divine
    rights of kings and nobles, fueled by the 100
    Years War and the earlier Crusades disaster. The
    House of Commons gains considerable power during
    the reign of Edward III.

7
Historic Elements
  • The Catholic Church was suffering from
    corruption, particularly from offenses
    highlighted in The Canterbury Tales, including
    selling of indulgences and other individual
    transgressions.
  • 1303-1377 the Avignon Papacy, resulting from the
    corruption of the office of the Pope, Clement V
    moved to Avignon, France. This is followed by the
    Great Western Schism (1378-1417) There were two,
    then three popes!
  • John Wycliffe (1330-1384) rumblings of the
    Protestant Reformation Separation of church and
    state or at least of church and wealth! His
    followers were called lollards (mumblers).
    There is a movement to have the Bible published
    in vernacular languages, and many die in this
    effort to bring the sacred text to the people.

8
Historic Elements
  • Jews had been expelled from England in 1290 by
    Edward I and officially are not allowed to
    practice their faith there until the Commonwealth
    under Oliver Cromwell in 1656. Of course, many
    Jews lived and worshiped undercover, barely
    converted.
  • While most Christians believed that Jews had been
    responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus, and
    Jews in other parts of Europe were widely
    persecuted for blood libel, many noted popes of
    the time issued decrees forbidding violence
    against Jews for these false accusations and
    persecutions.
  • This conflict between church teaching and
    practice is particularly evident in The Prioress
    Tale.

9
Historic Elements
  • 100 Years War (1294-1444) Long conflict between
    England and France. English kings wanted to be
    monarchs of England and France, and visa versa.
    This conflict intensified under Edward III,
    during Chaucers lifetime, and included conflicts
    with Scots, Irish and Welsh. (Braveheart. Henry
    V. Joan of Arc.) England was still struggling to
    be English. Chaucer sees first-hand the folly of
    this dispute.
  • Ravages of the Black Plague in the 13th and 14th
    centuries increase the property and prosperity
    of farmers. Perpetual need for workers leads to
    commuting labor forceIt indirectly leads to the

10
Historic Elements
  • Peasants Revolt (1381) which was waged against
    unfair limiting of wages and taxes on the
    workers. Its an early struggle against
    feudalism, and forced the young king, Richard II,
    to negotiate with the common people. (All
    promises made to Wat Tyler are immediately
    rescinded, and he and his cohorts are executed.)
    The Plague also leads the population to question
    faith and the chain of being for Death is a
    great equalizer.
  • Prosperity spreads commerce and knowledge
    increase social mobility.

11
Historic Elements
  • Many folks took pilgrimages to make business
    connections, meet potential mates, appease an
    irate wife or boss, or to advance your social
    position or for entertainment! Remember,
    society was changing!
  • In England today, the smaller roads from
    Southwark to Canterbury are still lined with
    pubs, which offered the pilgrims of Chaucers
    time lodging, libations, and sometimes other
    worldly pleasures
  • The pilgrims of the time could also get little
    pins to wear that said, basically, I went on a
    pilgrimage to Canterbury! and other kitschy
    things that are now in the British Museum!

12
Stylistic Elements
  • Chaucer uses narrative voice to its fullest
    potential in this work. While the tales
    themselves are narrated by different characters,
    a scribe (who describes himself as not too
    bright) writes them down, sometimes taking the
    time to apologize or add to the tale that was
    just told.
  • This scribe (also called Chaucer) is actually
    Chaucers alter ego, who recites the blithering
    Ballad of Sir Topaz, followed by the Tale of
    Melibee, a study in itself.
  • The tales are connected with links, where the
    pub owner introduces a new tale, the pilgrims
    fight with each other, and the scribe complains.
  • Between the tales the pilgrims tell, and the
    links between them, Chaucer covers a lot of
    social and ideological ground inside this
    structure.

13
Stylistic Elements
  • Within this narrative voice and plot structure,
    Chaucer himself is doubly or triply hidden
    and can freely criticize or honor the society
    around him.
  • Chaucer creates a mock-pilgrimage of sorts, and
    it should be noted that a pilgrimage is
    considered as Christian allegory for life itself.
  • In the pilgrimage of life you encounter moral
    difficulties and are tested. The shrine you head
    for is Heaven you get there if you are humble,
    and ask God for guidance. There certainly are
    allegorical elements, albeit sometimes mock
    allegory, to Chaucers work.

14
Stylistic Elements
  • The Canterbury Tales is written in verse, much of
    it in iambic pentameter, much of it in heroic
    couplets. Chaucer utilized this meter and rhyme
    beautifully and helps to fix it in the ear of
    English speaking people.
  • Chaucer also presents an example of almost every
    popular literary genre in this work romance,
    beast fable, fabliaux, saint story, parable,
    dialectical discourse, and sermon.
  • His ironic tone is superb and he uses gentle
    satire works to reprimand with and without
    evisceration. He also tenderly praises humanity
    with all its foibles. His ability to balance and
    change the tonal quality of each tale, and
    manipulate voice is remarkable especially for a
    civil servant!

15
Stylistic Elements
  • Perhaps the most notable element of The
    Canterbury Tales, however, is Chaucers superb
    characterization. The many voices are painted
    with intensely detailed lines, and each one is
    unique and realistic.
  • The narrative voice of each character is subtly
    maintained throughout the tale that each tells,
    and the qualities of the individual telling the
    tale are apparent in the type and context of the
    tale told!
  • The Canterbury Tales represents a singular moment
    of representing psychological reality of
    character, which Chaucer presents with
    excruciatingly meticulous accuracy. Not until
    Shakespeare would this be realized again in the
    English language.

16
Importance to the English Language
  • Chaucer never sought to publish during his
    lifetime, but his Canterbury Tales was
    universally admired as soon as they appeared.
  • It supported efforts of those in England who
    wanted to separate once and for all from France,
    and the end of the 100 Years War would mark the
    final change that separated England and English
    culture from that of France and the rest of
    Europe.
  • By 1363, the official language of the court was
    changed from French to English English was
    becoming more commonly taught in schools,
    superseding Latin. Chaucers work provided
    validation of language and culture that shined
    proudly during its time.
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