Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales

History of the Tales  Geoffrey Chaucer began writing the tales around 1387 AD  Uncompleted manuscript published 1400AD, the year he died  First book of poetry purposely written in the English language  Set a precedent and poets from Shakespeare to Dryden and Keats to Eliot owe him a debt of gratitude

Artistry of Form  As a work of art it encompasses individuality and universality  Narrative structure allowed Chaucer the freedom to create a variety of matter in a unified form  Many genres incorporated including; Fabliaux Romance Melodrama Parable And more…

Artistry of Form (cont’d.)  Despite being unfinished, clear indications of a plan  Each pilgrim to tell at least two stories maybe more  Chaucer was writing and collecting whatever occurred to him, but it was likely to find a more firmly constructed structure as it neared completion.

Artistry of Language  Chaucer wrote in English  It was becoming more solid and widespread  He used verse, which was the norm, but varied it according to his purpose  Despite borrowing much of his material, his use of language injects these tales with new life

Mastery of Character  Part of his master rests with creating characters  The characters take turns telling tales  They have depth and verisimilitude  Characters are created through: Physical descriptions (some quite graphic) Characters interacting with each other The tales themselves reflecting character (often specifically their personalities and motivations)

Merits of Meaning  Chaucer is free to use tales to convey multiple themes  Creates a microcosm of medieval English life (almost a sociological exploration possible)  Paints a multifaceted picture of humanity  Parodies forms of literature  Entertains