1 / 10

Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales. Overview of a Life and Work. Chaucer the man. Born 1345-46 ? Positions held: Esquire of the royal court Comptroller of customs, port of London Soldier, Hundred Years’ War Diplomat Poet Justice of the peace Member of Parliament...Etc.!.

chaz
Download Presentation

Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales Overview of a Life and Work

  2. Chaucer the man • Born 1345-46 ? • Positions held: • Esquire of the royal court • Comptroller of customs, port of London • Soldier, Hundred Years’ War • Diplomat • Poet • Justice of the peace • Member of Parliament...Etc.! 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  3. Celebrated Author Among works written: • The House of Fame, late 1370s. • The Parliament of Fowls, 1380. • Boece, Troilus, and Croseyede, 1382-86. • The Legend of Good Women, 1385-87. • The Canterbury Tales. This was a 13-year project:  begun 1387-92  bulk written 1392-95  latest tales 1396-1400 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  4. Chaucer’s Life and Family • Chaucer’s father was a vintner. • Chaucer belonged to the upper middle class. • He had a wife and children. • Well respected among peers and held in high esteem by king; received annual wine supplies, which later increased in size • Little is known of his life beyond official duties and achievements. • He died in 1400 (October 25?). 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  5. About The Canterbury Tales • A series of stories told by individuals representing a cross-section of medieval English society who undergo a Christian pilgrimage from London to Canterbury. • Told as a game to make the journey less tiresome and grueling, and to see who tells the best tale. • Many different storytellers—some rough, vain, or materialistic; others wise, pious, or noble. • Therefore, many different tales... 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  6. The Characters • The Knight • The Miller • The Reeve • The Cook • The Man of Law • The Wife of Bath • The Friar • The Summoner • The Clerk • The Merchant • The Squire • The Franklin 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  7. More Characters • The Physician • The Pardoner • The Shipman • The Prioress • Sir Topas • Melibee • The Monk • The Nun’s Priest • The Canon’s Yeoman • The Manciple • The Parson 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  8. Structure and Themes • A prologue precedes each character’s tale • The prologue introduces the character personally • The tale reveals more through the character’s chosen subject and treatment of that subject • Major themes include morality and genuine vs. false pilgrimage 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  9. The Text in Verse: Prologue “Here bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunterbury. Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,. . . Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth Inspired hath in every holt and heeth The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne. . . Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages, And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes, To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes; And specially from every shires ende Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,…”          Source: http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/teachslf/gp-par.htm 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

  10. Pronouncing Vowels in Middle English 3 October 2007 - C. Tangenberg

More Related