|
THE CANTERBURY TALES |
| This work by Geoffrey Chaucer is by far the most important work of the
Middle English Period. Most of it was written in decasyllabic couplets,
each line has ten syllables and the first line would rhyme with the
second, the third with the fourth, etc. "The General Prologue"
establishes the framework for the stories; the narrator has joined 30
others (although the Prologue says 29) to make the usual Spring pilgrimage
to Thomas A Becket’s shrine at Canterbury. This narrator describes each
of his companions, who are widely of varying classes and occupations.
Their host at the Tabard Inn, Harry Baily, proposes to come with them and
serve as judge in the storytelling contest to occupy the long hours of the
journey; each pilgrim is to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and
two on the way back, and the teller of the best tale will get a free
dinner at the Tabard upon return. |
| Chaucer, however, wrote only twenty-four tales. Twenty-one are told by
characters described in the Prologue, one is told by the Canon’s Yeoman,
who joins the group after they have already started, and Chaucer himself
begins one tale, and when interrupted tells another. In addition to the
characters who do narrate tales, Chaucer describes the Knight’s Yeoman,
two Priests accompanying the Prioress, a Haberdasher, a Carpenter, a
Weaver, a Dyer, a Tapicer (weaver of tapestry), and a Plowman. |
| Although frame stories such as these were common in Chaucer’s time, he
was the original in his choice of such a diverse group of characters, in
the corresponding diversity of styles of their stories, and in the way he
develops the drama of the interaction of his characters’ personalities.
With few exceptions, the tales and manner of their telling are completely
suited to the nature of their tellers. Between the actual narratives are
interludes in which characters talk—often argue—with each other and
with the host, revealing much about themselves. These episodes usually
occur in the prologues of the tales. |
| As you begin to immerse yourself in the reading, be sure to read the
brief biography of Chaucer on pp. 1512-1517. |
| The class will focus on the following sections: |
| The General Prologue Pp. 1517-1534 |
| "The Miller’s Prologue" Pp. 1534-1536 |
| "The Miller’s Tale" Pp. 1536-1539 |
| "The Wife of Bath’s Prologue" Pp. 1549-1566 |
| "The Tale of the Wife of Bath" Pp. 1566-1573 |
| "The Pardoner’s Prologue" Pp. 1573-1576 |
| "The Pardoner’s Tale" Pp. 1576-1585 |
| Find a site on the internet that allows you to see visual images of the
tales, hear what the tales would have sounded like in Middle English, and
see the difference in modern English verses Middle English. Record you
experience with these three tasks. |
| You have now read some of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales,
both in Middle English and modern language. You have spent time checking
out a general site about Chaucer. You have heard how his work would have
sounded to an audience. |
| Choose one tale and analyze the character’s view of several
institutions. You may use the character talked about in the story or the
storyteller, whichever works best for you. Describe how this person felt
about the following: |
| Marriage |
| Money |
| The Church |
| Commerce |
| Faith |
