CT Flashcards
Written when and by whom?
Geoffery Chaucer 1400 AD
Where was Chaucer born?
b. c. 1340 AD in London
d. 1400 AD
1348
peak plague year, end of the world, great for the economy, more access to land and jobs
The Monk
has a lot of money; monks were bound to their location so they all died
Chaucer had many
jobs; public figure especially, was the Controller of Customs
Controller of Customs
talks to everybody
GP
framed narrative from the West
CT, GP is a work of
fiction; Chaucer writes himself as a bad poet
Why Chaucer is a revolutionary?
- first court poet writing in English (made English prestigious)
- invented iambic pentameter (every important poet after wrote in iambic pentameter)
3 Estates
- Nobility
- Clergy
- Everyone else
but the pilgrims held a lot of different jobs and positions
Crusades
only for faith, the Knight was very idealized, the crusades were over by Chaucer’s birth
c. 550 AD
“The Rule of Saint Benedict” Monks were not supposed to hunt or pilgrimmage
Confession
confess your sins to a Priest, priest gives you a penance
Penance
what you have to do to atone for your sins, could be very painful
Absolution
Priest absolves you of your sins and you’re forgiven
Purgatory
waiting room, Protestants do not believe in purgatory; in purgatory, you become the Christian you were not on Earth
Indulgences
pardons, lessens the amount of time spent in purgatory, pay money to the Church
Martin Luther
Oct 31st, 1517; nailed 95 theses to Church in Germany, Day 1 of Protestant Reformation
Genre
type of story, tropes are things in the story that define it as a genre
KT genre
romance (long piece of fiction)
Tropes of Romance
- pretended to be old and true, but really its all fiction
- almost always involve knightly adventure
- in a high style: idealized characters, elevated word choice, elaborate plots
- involved courtly love
Courtly Love
the man falls deeply in love with the most beautiful woman, but she’s cold and rejects him; he pursues for years; he gets a kiss on the hand and dies; the woman is usually married, tragic element
KT
greatest romance ever; two knights fight for their love, as the one soul goes up to Heaven, he reflects that nothing matters outside of God’s will (Providence); gives religious depth to romance
Nothing happens without ___ wanting it to happen (KT)
God
MT genre
fabliau(x): dirty joke; greatest dirty joke ever
Tropes of Fabliau(x)
- simple and fast-paced
- ordinary characters and takes place in the present
- usually have to deal with comeuppance
MT and KT
MT makes fun of the high style of the KT, Miller says both their tales are about two horny guys wanting the same girl, however KT gives basic human desires religious depth and providence
