Although none of Chaucer's original manuscript (written between 1387 and 1400) has survived, medieval scribes had copied various compilations of the work. These manuscripts, often beautifully illustrated, were popular even before the first printed version was published in 1478.
English Period During the final period of Chaucer's literary career, sometimes referred to as the English period (1385-1400), Chaucer wrote the work for which he is now best known, "The Canterbury Tales."
Apr 30, 2020 · British Literature Canterbury Tales Short Answer Test Mrs. Crowe. Each response is worth ten points Name: Kelly Moore Describe how Chaucer’s life experience allowed him to write about people from so many walks of life. Chaucer was born into a middle-class family. He then was sent to work as a page to the wife of Lionel of Antwerp, son of King Edward III, at a …
The Canterbury Tales are about a group of thirty pilgrims , from all walks of life , who are traveling to Canterbury . The pilgrims tell stories to pass the time while they are traveling . In the General Prologue , the narrator is about to make the pilgrimage to Canterbury when he meets up with a diverse group of 29 pilgrims at the Tabard Inn .
The Canterbury Tales Study Guide. The Canterbury Tales is at once one of the most famous and most frustrating works of literature ever written. Since its composition in late 1300s, critics have continued to mine new riches from its complex ground, and started new arguments about the text and its interpretation.
The Canterbury Tales is at once one of the most famous and most frustrating works of literature ever written. Since its composition in late 1300s, critics have continued to mine new riches from its complex ground, and started new arguments about the text and its interpretation. Chaucer’s richly detailed text, so Dryden said, was “God’s plenty”, and the rich variety of the Tales is partly perhaps the reason for its success. It is both one long narrative (of the pilgrims and their pilgrimage) and an encyclopedia of shorter narratives; it is both one large drama, and a compilation of most literary forms known to medieval literature: romance, fabliau, Breton lay, moral fable, verse romance, beast fable, prayer to the Virgin… and so the list goes on. No single literary genre dominates the Tales. The tales include romantic adventures, fabliaux, saint's biographies, animal fables, religious allegories and even a sermon, and range in tone from pious, moralistic tales to lewd and vulgar sexual farces. More often than not, moreover, the specific tone of the tale is extremely difficult to firmly pin down.
The Knight's Tale was an English version of a tale by Boccaccio, while six of Chaucer's tales have possible sources in the Decameron: the Miller's Tale, the Reeve's, the Clerk's, the Merchant's, the Franklin's, and the Shipman's. However, Chaucer's pilgrims to Canterbury form a wider range of society compared to Boccaccio's elite storytellers, ...
Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales was a social satire, a type of humor that uses exaggeration and irony to make fun of society. While his characters belonged to particular social classes, they often failed to live up to the behaviors and expectations associated with their classes.
These included members of the First Estate, or Church hierarchy, like The Prioress, Monk, Friar, Parson, and Pardoner. Characters belonging to the Second Estate were ...
The Second Estate consisted of the nobility, including aristocratic families, dukes, and other royals, such as the Knight and the Squire in The Canterbury Tales. Harry Bailly, the innkeeper in the book, suggests that the Knight tells his story first when the pilgrims begin their storytelling contest, acknowledging that the Knight is highly ranked ...
The Third Estate was composed of the peasants, or people who produced food and clothing for the higher estates, such as The Plo wman. As a character in The Canterbury Tales, the Plowman best represents this estate. Women in feudal society were categorized differently. Like men, they were born into one of the three estates, ...
In today's lesson, we'll be studying one of the most renowned pieces of English literature , The Canterbury Tales. In this collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer, we meet a colorful group of 29 travelers making a religious pilgrimage from London to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. Along their journey, their host engages them in a storytelling contest with a free meal as the prize. However, we soon find the Canterbury Tales are more about the storytellers themselves than they are about the tales they weave.
The Canterbury Tales is an excellent example of cultural diffusion, or the spreading out of ideas from one central point (Italy) to another (England). Making the tales even more significant, Chaucer chose to write them in the vernacular, which is just a fancy word for the everyday language spoken by the people. The choice to write in common English rather than French or Latin made Chaucer's work accessible to all classes of people.
The Knight is the first character asked by the host to tell his story. This placement makes perfect sense, since knighthood was highly esteemed in medieval culture. After the Knight tells his tale of a courtly love triangle, the host invites the Monk to go next. This also makes sense, since a monk was also a highly respected member of medieval society. However, before the Monk can even begin, the drunken Miller, a complete commoner, interrupts and tells the group he has a tale of love that will top that of the Knight. At first glance this may look like nothing more than a drunk guy cutting in line; however, this move reflects the author's criticism of medieval social rank. Not only does he let the Miller follow the Knight, he allows him to actually challenge the Knight to a storytelling duel. In medieval society, it was unacceptable for a commoner to even approach a knight, let alone challenge one. However, Chaucer throws these social norms out the window, allowing the Miller to continue his drunken tale.