THE CANTERBURY TALES

By:

Geoffrey Chaucer

WHO IS GEOFFREY CHAUCER?

A

uthor of The Canterbury Tales

K

nown as the Father of English literature

C

haucer’s contribution to English literature was his use of

English in court poetry; most authors during his time were

still writing in Anglo-Norman or Latin

WHAT ARE THE CANTERBURY TALES?

O

ne of the greatest epic works of English literature

C

ollection of stories told by pilgrims on a pilgrimage

LITERARY TERMS YOU NEED TO KNOW

Satire: A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision(ridicule/mockery), or wit

Irony: A technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated

Ballad: A narrative poem, often of folk origin and intended to be sung, consisting of simple stanzas and usually having a refrain

Vernacular: The standard native language of a country or locality

MORE TERMS

Chivalry: The qualities idealized by knighthood, such as bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry toward women

Courtly Love: An idealized and often illicit form of love celebrated in the literature of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in which a knight or courtier devotes himself to a noblewoman who is usually married and feigns indifference to preserve her reputation

Physiognomy: The art of judging human character from facial features

TERMS CONTINUED

V

erisimilitude: Something that has the appearance of being true

or real

C

ouplet: A unit of verse consisting of two successive lines, usually

rhyming and having the same meter and often forming a

complete thought or syntactic unit

C

rusade: A vigorous concerted movement for a cause or against

an abuse

WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR

K

ing of England (1066–1087) and Duke of Normandy (1035–1087)

L

ed the Norman invasion of England (1066) after being promised the

English throne by his cousin Edward the Confessor

D

efeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings

A

s king adopted a feudal constitution and made some big changes. • Replaced native Anglo-Saxon aristocrats with Normans• Major changes in culture, language, and the church• Forged ties with France/loosened ties with Scandinavia • Built foundation for later medieval English kingdom• Controversial

BACKGROUND INFORMATIOND

omesday Book: The written record of a census and survey of English landowners and their property made by order of William the Conqueror in 1085–1086 (“Day of Judgement”-it was law)

Feudalism: Feudalism is a system of land ownership and duties. It was used in the Middle Ages. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of the land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. These presents of land were called manors. Then the nobles gave some of their land to vassals. The vassals then had to do duties for the nobles. The lands of vassals were called fiefs.

Point of reference=taxes not paid with money, but with products/services

SIR THOMAS BECKET

E

nglish Roman Catholic martyr

F

ell into disfavor with the king as archbishop of Canterbury

C

harged with misappropriating crown funds (1164), he fled the country

U

pon his return (1170) he was murdered by four knights in Canterbury

Cathedral

C

anonized in 1173

MORE BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Black Death: An outbreak of bubonic plague that was pandemic throughout Europe and much of Asia in the 14th century

Impressionism: A literary style characterized by the use of details and mental associations to evoke subjective and sensory impressions rather than the re-creation of objective reality

When a high born boy reached the age of seven, he was sent to live in the castle of another lord, usually a close friend of his father's or relative.

There he began his education as a page, running errands in the castle and performing humble services for noblemen and ladies.

BEING A KNIGHT

He learned good manners, reading, writing, numbers, singing, dancing, strumming the lute, reverence for God, how to use a sword, and how to ride a horse.

In the morning, he helped his lord dress, and served at meals, bringing in food and drink.

A

round the age of 13, the boy

was apprenticed to a knight

and became a squire.

W

hen the squire was judged

ready to become a knight,

usually between 18 and 21,

a time for the knighting

ceremony was set.

BEING A KNIGHT CONTINUED

T

his was just the beginning of

the young man's career as a

knight.

K

nights protected the lord's

lands from invaders and

fought in the lord's battles

against other lords.

A

knight had many pounds

of armor that he had to

wear to protect himself from

arrows and enemies swords

T

he armor was put on by one

or more squires or pages

KNIGHT’S APPAREL

T

he knight also used a metal or

wood shield to ward off

enemies blows during a battle

T

his shield was carried on one

arm, usually the left, and the

sword was carried with the

other

Once they were dressed in armor, knights all looked the same.

In order to keep from killing their comrades, knights painted colorful designs on their armor, shields, and weapons.

These designs were unique to each knight and provided means of identification during battle.

KNIGHT’S APPAREL CONTINUED

A knight usually wanted to marry. Like most marriages during the Middle Ages, these marriages were arranged to the advantage of both parties.

A knight wanted a wife who would be an heiress or would have a large dowry, that would include land or enough money to buy land.

When the knight was away from home, the wife would look after the running of his castles and estates.

ROMANCE

W

omen in the Middle Ages were usually treated as property

W

hile medieval country marriages were often the result of love,

marriage among the noble class was more a business

transaction than the culmination of ardent feelings

P

assion was considered sinful to 11th and 12th century moralists,

but these ideals were slowly being worn away with the rituals of

courtly love.