Transcript The Age of Chaucer

Middle English

One of the reasons Chaucer is so important is that he
made the decision to write in English and not French. In
the centuries following the Norman invasion, French
was the language spoken by those in power. The
Canterbury Tales was one of the first major works in
literature written in English. Chaucer began the tales in
1387 and continued until his death in 1400. No text in
his own hand still exists, but a surprising number of
copies survive from the 1500s - more than 80. This
suggests the tales were enormously popular in medieval
England. This early and handsomely ornamented
manuscript copy, from c.1450, was made within a
generation of Chaucer's death.
The Canterbury Tales is one of the best loved works in the history of
English literature. Written in Middle English, the story follows a
group of pilgrims who are travelling the long journey from London
to Canterbury Cathedral. Setting off from a London inn, the
innkeeper suggests that during the journey each pilgrim should tell
two tales to help pass the time. The best storyteller, he says, will be
rewarded with a free supper on his return.
Chaucer introduces us to a vivid cast of characters, including a
carpenter, a cook, a knight, a monk, a prioress, a haberdasher, a
dyer, a clerk, a merchant and a very bawdy miller. These characters
come from all corners of 14th century society, and give Chaucer the
chance to speak in many different voices. Some of the characters'
tales are humorous, rude and naughty, while others are moral and
reflective.

A miracle play presents a real or fictitious account
of the life, miracles, or martyrdom of a saint. The
genre evolved from liturgical offices developed
during the 10th and 11th centuries to enhance
calendar festivals. By the 13th century they had
become
vernacularized
and
filled
with
unecclesiastical elements. They had been divorced
from church services and were performed at public
festivals.
Disobedience of Adam and Eve (p.20)
Noah and the great flood
Abraham and Isaac
Events in the life of Christ
Stories of saints
morality
play,
also
called morality , an allegorical
drama
popular
in
Europe
especially during the 15th and
16th centuries, in which the
characters
personify
moral
qualities (such as charity or vice)
or abstractions (as death or youth)
and in which moral lessons are
taught.
Together with the mystery
play and the miracle play, the
morality play is one of the three
main
types
of
vernacular
drama produced during the
Middle Ages.


Prose developed later than poetry - in the ninth century - but
sometimes it also partly contained the characteristics of
poetry. It was influenced by Latin, the language of the church
and the educated. It consisted of factual, historical, and
religious writings.
Le Morte d'Arthur (originally spelled Le Morte
Darthur, Middle French for "the death of Arthur") is a
compilation by Sir Thomas Malory of Romance tales about
the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, and
the Knights of the Round Table. Sir Thomas Malory
interprets existing French and English stories about these
figures and adds original material (the Gareth story).