The Canterbury Tales By Geoffrey Chaucer Literature’s First Road Trip

What’s the main idea? In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote about the people he had met during his life. If you were doing the same thing today, think about the variety of types of people you know and have encountered.

The Canterbury Tales… …contains a Prologue (an introduction) followed by a series of 24 stories …are told by 22 people from many walks of life. …is considered a romance.

In the prologue, Chaucer describes the people according to… Their occupation (job) The type and color of their clothing Their “accessories” (jewelry, pets, other portables) Their income Their status in society as a whole The way they speak / their slang or accent Their mode of transportation

So Where is Canterbury?

But why is the book the ‘Canterbury’ tales?

Canterbury was a pilgrimage site People of all classes went on pilgrimages to holy sites to ask for help with medical, financial, or other problems. A pilgrimage is defined as a journey, especially a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion. Therefore, a pilgrim is person who would take on such a trip.

So why did the pilgrims go to Canterbury?

One reason was religion… Canterbury has always been an important religious center in England. St. Augustine (seen in stained glass from the Canterbury Cathedral) was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to establish the Catholic faith in the country. Religion played an important part in medieval life.

Why religion was important… It’s the Middle Ages Plague Warfare High Infant Mortality Rate Short Life Expectancy …so if you were a peasant, and you lived your whole life in harsh conditions…. About the best thing that you had to look forward to was dying and going to heaven. Oye!

But what is so special about Canterbury in particular? The city is the site of the Shrine of St. Thomas Becket. A shrine is a sacred place often associated with saints.

About St. Thomas à Becket Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II. Henry named Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. His outspoken criticism about the abuses of the church angered the king and Becket was murdered at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral. The death of Becket angered the peasants who felt his Saxon heritage made him one of them.

Inside the cathedral.. Today a modern grouping of swords in the shape of a cross marks the site of Becket’s death in the cathedral.