A Deeper Look at Chaucer’s General Prologue to The Canterbury TalesLauren Zizwarek

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THE FRANKLIN

•The Franklin“A fourteenth-century health-food addict”? (Cooper 46)Lines 333-336

•Chaucer’s speaker mentions that Franklin is in “compaignye” with the Sergeant. •Franklin is a feudal “landowner of the gentry class” (Chaucer 333)). •His beard is as white as a daisy. Simile: Appearance sets him apart from the others.•“The sanguinity indicates an open and generous temperament with a good stomach and digestion” (Cooper 45).•Gourmet eating to dip his bread in wine•Cultural Value: Preparing fancy foods indicated a well-kept home in the Middle Ages.

A Frankelain was in his compaignye:

Whit was his beerd as is the dayesye;

Of his complexion he was sanguin.

Wel loved he by the morwe a sop in win.

•The Franklin•Epicurus is a Greek philosopher who taught that happiness is the goal of life (Norton 178, f. 6). •Chaucer’s “voice refuses to be assimilated in any simple way to that of the moralist” (Cooper 46).•Franklin may not have the same opinion as Epicurus. •Compare: Franklin to St. Julian (patron saint of hospitality)•Chivalry: hospitable to all company

To liven in delit was evere his wone,

That heeld opinion that plein delit

For he was Epicurus owene sone,

Was verray felicitee parfit.

An housholdere and that a greet was he:

Saint Julian he was in his contree.

Envined: wine-stocked (Norton 179) Tone: pleasant

His house “snowed” of food and drink. Funny! The best was always expected.

Chaucer’s speaker is using food and language to show that Franklin “appears lordly in his way of life” (Williams 43); however, he will never reach aristocratic status.

The Franklin changes his diet depending on the season.

Poignant and sharp spices to go along with the food, “hot and dry elements balancing the cold and moist—reflect medieval beliefs about wholesome eating” (Cooper 46).

“One of the world’s social climbers in the person of the Franklin, who is out to impress as much as he is easily impressed himself” (Williams 45).

•The Franklin

After the sondry sesons of the yeerSo chaunged he his mete and his soper.

Ful many a fat partrich hadde he in mewe,And many a breem, and many a luce in stewe.

Wo was his cook but if his sauce were Poinant and sharp, and redy all his gere.

His breed, his ale, was always after oon; A bettre envined man was nevere noon.

Withouten bake mete was nevere his hous,Of fissh and flessh, and that so plentevousIt snewed in his hous of mete and drinke, Of alle daintees that men coude thinke.

LINES

His table dormant in his halle alwayStood redy covered all the longe day.At sessions ther was he lord and sire.Ful ofte time he was Knight of the Shire.An anlaas and a gipser al of silkHeeng at his girdel, whit as morne milk.A shirreve hadde he been, and countour. Was nowhere swich a worthy vavasour.

*The Franklin serves as a “county representative in Parliament”, sessions refers to “sessions of the justices of the peace” (Norton 179, f. 2). Still remains in broad middle class.*

• Chaucer’s Ironic Tone: • He cannot reach true nobility even if he’s

“consuming the same foods that sustain the aristocrat” (Williams 43).

• Had been a sheriff and an auditor.• Detail:

• Franklin’s table is never taken down; always ready for guests

• Expresses Chaucer’s opinion of Franklin as a social climber

• Chaucer’s speaker views Franklin as “a worthy vavasour”

• “Anlaas”: two-edged dagger• “Gipser”: purse (Norton 179)

• Simile• Array-respectable character • Does Chaucer view Franklin as truly

worthy if he comes from middle class (Reiss 28)?

ANALYSIS

•The Franklin’s Social StandingSocial standing in the Middle Ages is characterized by one’s background, estate, array, and

values.

An Haberdasshere and a Carpenter, A Webbe, a Dyere, and a Tapicer—And they were clothed alle in oo livereeof a solempne and greet fraternitee.

Webbe-“weaver” (Chaucer 364)Tapicer-“weaver of tapestries” (Chaucer 364)

Haberdasher- “dealer in hats or small wares” (Chaucer 363)

An Haberdasshere and a Carpenter, A Webbe, a Dyere, and a Tapicer—And they were clothed alle in oo livereeOf a solempne and greet fraternitee. Ful fresshe and newe hir gere apiked was;Hir knives were chaped nought with bras,But al with silver; wrought ful clene and weelHir girdles and hir pouches everydeel.

“Nought with bras” emphasizes significance of silver knives, which are illegal. Their uniforms are very detailed.

• Chaucer’s speaker puts 5 men together

• Single character • Chaucer’s goal:

• He “provides us with a gallery of universally recognizable characters” (Williams 42)

• “parish guild: an organization in which the members associated for acts of piety and mutual welfare” (Cooper 47)

1) St. Thomas of Canterbury 2) Craft guilds receive political

power

•Lines 363-370

Guilds referred to as “fraternities” have more successful, powerful members than other guilds of the time (Olson 149).

Clothing is the same.

Wel seemed eech of hem a fair burgeisTo sitten in a yeldehalle on a dais.Everich, for the wisdom that he can, Was shaply for to been an alderman.

• Burgeis-burgher (Norton 179) • Yeldehalle-guildhall (Norton 179)

• Chaucer’s speaker: • Guildsmen are “suitable for advancement” (Cooper 47).• Prosperity• Gain city official status from speaker

• Chaucer: • Wisdom=key to being good alderman • Foreboding tone: key element restraining guildsmen

from being socially successful and in estate of large mass of commoners.

•Lines 371-374•Cultural Value: Being an established citizen shows loyalty and commitment to king.

• For catel hadde they ynough and rente,

• Catel-“property” (Chaucer 375)

• Rente-“income” (Chaucer 375)

• And eek hir wives wolde it wel assente—

• And elles certain were they to blame:

• It is ful fair to been ycleped “Madame,”

• Ycleped-“called” (Chaucer 378)

• And goon to vigilies all bifore,

• “I.e., at the head of the procession. ‘Vigiles’: feasts held on the eve of saints’ days” (Norton 179 ,f. 8).

• And have a mantel royalliche ybore.

• “Royally carried” (Norton 179, f. 9).

•The Guildsmen and their Wives…

• Previous mention of wisdom and high status of guildsmen are “dropped when their wives’ motives are introduced” (Cooper 47).

• Chaucer expresses his negative view of women by saying that they are at fault.

• Chaucer’s speaker-voice for the guildsmen; emphasizes their “superiority” over other townsmen (Cooper 47) by commenting on having property and income.

• Wives think they are royal because of their husbands, but, indeed, they are not.

Lines 375-380

THECOOK

“For the occasion” (N). “‘Powdre-marchant’ and ‘galingale’ are flavoring materials” (N). 1) The Cook’s description can be

read “like the index of a cookery book” (Cooper 48).

1) Tasting, roasting, boiling, broiling, frying, baking

2) The Cook works for the 5 Guildsmen.

1) Chaucer’s speaker devotes 7 lines to describing his occupation; only 2 lines (couplet) are personal (Wallace 398).

•The CookLines 381-386

A Cook they hadde with hem for the nones,To boile the chiknes with the marybones, And powdre-marchant tart and galingale. Wel coude he knowe a draughte of London ale.He coude roste, and seethe, and broile, and frye, Maken mortreux, and wel bake a pie.

1) He is “the only pilgrim to be…identified as a Londoner” (Wallace 390). 1) Familiarity with London ale

But greet harm was it, as it thoughte me,• C

haucer voices his opinion by shifting his tone from jolly to serious. He does not express any sympathy for the Cook.

That on his shine a mormal hadde he, • O

nly detail of Cook’s appearance

• The ulcer juxtaposes the cook’s delicious pies and mousses.

For blankmanger, that made he with the beste. • C

haucer’s speaker thinks that his amazing cooking skills are more important than his ulcer. This “defect…has not been emphasized in the behavior of the pilgrim himself” in the General Prologue (Olson 151).

Mormal-“ulcer” (Chaucer)

Blankmanger-“a white stew or mousse” (Chaucer)

•Chaucer makes a social comment regarding gluttony

•Too much of one thing can be bad•The ulcer is the Cook’s “symptom in medieval diagnosis of self-indulgence” (Cooper 48).

•The CookLines 387-389

Bonnart, Jean Baptiste. The Haberdasher. N.d. 1st-Art-Gallery.      1st-Art-Gallery. Web. 2 Jan. 2012.      <http://www.1st-art-gallery.com/Jean-Baptiste-Bonnart/      The-Haberdasher.html>. The Carpenter. N.d. The Hissem-Montague Family. N.p., 10 Dec. 2011. Web. 2 Jan.      2012. <http://measuresconsulting.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/      carpenter.jpg>. Chaucer's Cook. N.d. "Geoffrey Chaucer." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. Web. 2 Jan. 2012. <http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/cook.htm>. Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The General Prologue." The Canterbury Tales. Ed. Sinan Kðkbugur. Librarius, 1997. Web. 19 Dec. 2011. <http://www.librarius.com/canttran/gptrfs.htm>. This source was used primarily for its “Middle-english Glossary.”  Cooper, Helen. Oxford Guides to Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc., 1996. Print.  Dyer. N.d. BayRose. Robin L. Berry, 2004. Web. 2 Jan. 2012.      <http://www.bayrose.org/AandS/dyeing.html>. Epicurus. N.d. Epicurean Philosophy Online. Erik Anderson, Nov. 2003. Web. 2      Jan. 2012. <http://www.epicurus.info/>.

The Franklin. N.d. English Literature and Culture from Medieval Period to the      Eighteenth Century. Fu Jen English Department, 1999. Web. 2 Jan. 2012.      <http://www.eng.fju.edu.tw/English_Literature/medieval/>. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. 8th ed. The Major Authors, Vol. A: The Middle Ages Through the Restoration and the Eighteenth Century. New York: W.W. Norton, 2006. 178-80. Print. All Middle English lines from “The General Prologue” are taken from this source. Olson, Glending. "Chaucer's Idea of a Canterbury Game." Critical Insights: The      Canterbury Tales. Ed. Jack Lynch. Pasadena: Salem, 2011. 141-58. Print.

Reiss, Edmund. "Chaucer's Thematic Particulars." Signs and Symbolism in      Chaucer's Poetry. Ed. John P. Hermann and John J. Burke, Jr. University: U      of Alabama, 1986. 27-42. Print.

Tapestry Weaver. N.d. V&A. Victoria & Albert Museum, 18 Jan. 2004. Web. 2 Jan.      2012. <http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1220_gothic/      visiting_information.php>. Wallace, David. "Chaucer and the Absent City." Critical Insights: The      Canterbury Tales. Ed. Jack Lynch. Pasadena: Salem, 2011. 382-94. Print.

Williams, David. The Canterbury Tales: A Literary Pilgrimage. Boston: Twayne,      1987. Print.

Works Cited