Transcript Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The
Canterbury Tales
Chaucer’s Life







Born to a wealthy wine merchant
Was made a page in court
Served various kings as a soldier, diplomat, and civil
servant
Was well traveled and well-spoken
Likely met Boccaccio and Petrarch
Stayed mostly in London, but eventually to Kent and
Canterbury
Died while working on The Canterbury Tales
History of the Tales




Geoffrey Chaucer began
writing the tales around 1387
AD
Uncompleted 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
Artistry of Form



As a work of art it encompasses individuality and
universality
Narrative structure allowed Chaucer the freedom to
create a variety of matter in a unified form
Many genres incorporated including;





Fabliaux
Romance
Melodrama
Parable
And more…
Artistry of Form (cont’d.)



Despite being unfinished, clear
indications of a plan
Each pilgrim to tell at least two
stories maybe four
Chaucer 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 Language




Chaucer wrote in English
It was becoming more solid and 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
Mastery of Character




Part of his master rests with creating
characters
The characters take turns telling tales
They have depth and verisimilitude
Characters are created through:



Physical descriptions (some quite
graphic)
Characters interacting with each other
The tales themselves reflecting character
(often specifically their personalities and
motivations)
Merits of Meaning





Chaucer is free to use tales to convey multiple
themes
Creates a microcosm of medieval English life
(almost a sociological exploration possible)
Paints a multifaceted picture of humanity
Parodies forms of literature
Entertains
Here Bygynneth the Book
of the tales of Caunterbury
1: Whan that aprill with his shoures soote
2: The droghte of march hath perced to the
roote,
3: And bathed every veyne in swich licour
4: Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
5: Whan zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
6: Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
7: Tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
8: Hath in the ram his halve cours yronne,
9: And smale foweles maken melodye,
10: That slepen al the nyght with open ye
11: (so priketh hem nature in hir corages);
12: Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
13: And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
14: To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
15: And specially from every shires ende
16: Of engelond to caunterbury they wende,
17: The hooly blisful martir for to seke,