1. Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

2. Early Life born c. 1340 son of a prosperous wine merchant
learned Latin, Greek, French, and Italian
joined the royal household and became a trusted messenger and minor diplomat

3. As a Royal Messenger
Chaucer was frequently sent across the continent on secret business for the King.
Some of these trips were to Italy where he became acquainted with the works of the great Italian authors: Boccaccio, Dante, Petrarch
These 3 were the greatest Italian writers of the early Renaissance period

4. Other Jobs Chaucer Held…and Learned From...
Controller of Customs on Wools, Skins and Hides for the Port of London
Here he would meet many types of businessmen, sailors, travelers city folk and common laborers
Clerk of the King’s Works
In charge of construction and repairs affecting the royal residences; here he would meet many guildsmen as well as court officials
Deputy Forester of the King’s Forests
Away from the city, he met peasants, foresters, local clergy and other country folk
Representative of the Shire of Kent in Parliament
Here he met the rich, the influential and the upper middle class as well as the higher ranking church officials

5. Canterbury Tales

6. Canterbury Tales is considered Chaucer’s masterpiece
First, it marks the beginnings of a new tradition: Chaucer was the first writer to use English vernacular in a major literary work.
Secondly, it gives a picture of a cross-section of society during the 1300’s: all classes of medieval society
Finally, it is a detailed, lifelike, and engaging picture. Chaucer lets his characters speak as they might actually talk.

7. A FRAME TALE a large story that is filled with many smaller stories.
The ‘frame’ of Canterbury Tales is the trip (the pilgrimage) to Canterbury.

8. Characters
Chaucer wrote from the perspective of many different characters.
Through these characters, Chaucer provided a lively look at three distinct groups of people in fourteenth-century England.
These three distinct groups are:

9. I. Members of the Feudal System
Knight
Squire
Yeoman
Franklin
Plowman
Miller
Reeve

10. II. People in Religious Life
Nun
Monk
Friar
Cleric
Parson
Summoner
Pardoner

11. III. The Rising Middle Class
Merchant
Sergeant at the Law
Five Tradesman
Cook
Skipper
Doctor
Wife of Bath
Manciple
Host

12. London

13. But why go to Canterbury?

14. 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.

15. The Shrine of St. Thomas à Becket

16. Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II
Becket was a trusted adviser and friend of King Henry II. Henry named Becket Archbishop of Canterbury.

17. Becket’s outspoken style angered the King
Becket’s outspoken style angered the King. One day, Henry complained, “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?” Three knights rode to Canterbury where they found Becket at the altar of Canterbury Cathedral.

18. Becket was murdered at the altar.

19. The death of Becket angered the peasants who felt his Saxon heritage made him one of them.

20. Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St
Canterbury Cathedral became a site for pilgrims to offer prayers to St. Thomas.

21. Today, a modern cross made from swords marks the site of the martyrdom.

22. A close-up of the altar.

23. The fact that Chaucer wrote in English (Middle English), rather than French or Latin like many of his fellow writers, meant that ordinary folk could enjoy The Canterbury Tales and their vivid characters.

24. The late 14th century world was still very much one of the spoken word
The late 14th century world was still very much one of the spoken word. Books were a rare luxury until the advent of the printing press 70 years later. The educated elite could read, but they preferred to hear texts read out loud for entertainment. The Canterbury Tales, with their earthy humor and vivid dialogue, were a runaway success.

25. Tone
The tone of a literary work expresses the writer’s attitude toward the work’s subject or characters.
Can be formal or informal
Creates a mood in the audience
Mood: the emotions the reader feels from the atmosphere of the reading

26. Irony A contrast between expectation and reality
Verbal irony: when what is said is not what is meant
Dramatic irony: when the reader knows something that a character does not know.
Narrator in the “Prologue” uses an ironic tone to understate his criticisms or say the opposite of what he really thinks.

27. Verisimilitude The likeness in a piece of literature to the truth
How well a piece of fiction relates to a realistic event, even if the event is farfetched
Events in a story must be believable and somehow relatable to real life

28. Poetic Elements Rhyming couplets: every two lines rhyme together
Iambic Pentameter: ten syllable lines with stressed and unstressed syllables
Each stressed and unstressed syllable is an iamb
da-DUH, da-DUH, da-DUH, da-DUH, da-DUH

29. Characterization
The means by which a writer develops a character’s personality
Can be a description of a character’s physical appearance
Presentation of the character’s speech, thoughts, feelings and actions
How other characters’ speech, thoughts, feelings, and actions relate to the character

30. Satire
A literary technique in which ideas, customs, behaviors, or institutions are ridiculed for the purpose of bringing about social reform
Can be witty, mildly abrasive, or bitterly cruel
Exaggeration: the truth of something is extended for emphasis or humorous effect.
Parody: imitates or mocks another work or type of literature.

31. Satire Continued
Exaggeration: the truth of something is extended for emphasis or humorous effect.
Parody: imitates or mocks another work or type of literature.
Incongruity: when something or someone is out of place and does not fit the location or situation.

32. And thus the story begins...