Chaucer Flashcards
What era of English did Chaucer write in?
Late Middle English
When were the Middle Ages?
500-1500 AD
When was the Battle of Normandy and what did it mark?
1066
Marked the end of Old English and the start of Middle English
When did Geoffrey Chaucer live?
1343-1400
What was Chaucer’s occupation?
Government agent, Poet, Accountant
What kind of narrative is seen in the Canterbury Tales?
Framing Narrative, encompasses fragments
Pilgrims will partake in a story telling competition
Where are the pilgrims going and why? How many pilgrims are there?
to Canterbury - to the resting place of St Thomas a Becket, martyr. 29
What does the prologue show?
introduces characters at Tabard Inn in Southwark
Supposedly represents all parts of society
- very few women (3)
- many religious people
- not all tell a story
How do we know that the volume is unfinished?
Not all pilgrims tell a story
Not all pilgrims tell 4 stories (2 on the way, 2 on the way back, as described by the Host)
What is the key idea of the Canterbury tales?
Chaucer disrupts expectations
What features of rhyme are in the CTs?
Rhyming couplets
Decasyllabic metre
(intention can be found in stress on words)
What is a pilgrimage?
A long walk to a holy site
How does the wife of bath (alice) shock expectation?
Women were commonly described based on relationship to man. Audience expects her to be noble and honourable (a wife).
Shocked to find that she is lavicious/bold with 5 ex husbands.
Who facilitates the competition?
The Host
Describe the Miller
Robin
- Large
- Poorly dressed
- Sword and Shield
- Plays bagpipes
- Red Hair
- Drunk and rowdy
- has a rivalry with the Reve
Describe the Miller’s Fabliaux
Comic tale, popular in Europe 1100 - 1400 contained sex and obscenity Makes fun of church/nobility clever wordplay Sometimes has a moral
What does the Miller’s prologue achieve?
Ties framing narrative together
What does the narrator display in his defense of the Miller’s tale?
Modesty Toppos
Reluctant narrator
Who are the characters in the Miller’s tale?
John
Alisoun
Nicolas
Absalon
Describe John
"riche gnof" Carpenter old man jealous husband uneducated
Describe Nicholas
University student "hende" studies arts and astrology Sly and deceitful Smells of licorice and ginger Lives with John Very clever and handsome
Describe Alisoun
new wife of John, 18 years old held "in a cage" Gentle, small, fair, attractive, voluptuous Wears a silk girdle "lecherous" Body "like a weasel" Valued as a sexual object
What is the “condicion” of the pilgrims?(5 levels)
Military Ecclesiastics Middle Classes Exemplary characteristics of humble virtue Churls and Rascals
Describe Absalon (who does he allude to?)
attractive (allusion to Solomon's son) Shiny blond hair Part-time barber surgeon/lawyer Squeamish Parish Clark Compared to women's beauty, mocking his femininity
