1. Geoffrey Chaucer
The Canterbury Tales

2. The Canterbury Tales Written in Middle English from 1386-1400
Written by Geoffrey Chaucer (though he died before he could finish)
Written in the London dialect of Middle English vernacular

3. Political Stuff of the Times
Growing Pains & Tensions: The Beginning of the Separation between Church & State
At the time, the Catholic Church and the Government (monarchy) were one-in-the-same in Great Britain.
Corruption: Due to this pairing, there was a lot of political/power- based corruption in the Church & Government.
The feudal system was beginning to fail. The working man’s view became more prevalent. Vernacular was being employed in literary works.
Vernacular of the time: Middle English (broke from Old English).

4. Understanding Feudalism

5. Verse | Iambic pentameter
Even though Chaucer uses Middle English, the common man’s language or the language of everyday, he still uses a proper verse introduced by French schools.
Iambic Verse: verse written with sets of iambs (unstressed and stressed syllables) to create rhythm within a given work. The number of sets determines the meter.

6. Meter more closely
Meter: pattern of unstressed and stressed syllables in poetry.
U = unstressed syllable
/ = stressed syllable
Iambic Meter: sets of “U /”
Iambic Pentameter: five sets of “U /”

7. In Real Life. U / U / U / U / U /
Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote