GENRE Flashcards
FABLIAUX
MILLER’S; REEVE’S; SHIPMAN’S; MERCHANT’S; COOK’S; SUMMONER’S; FRIAR’S; MANCIPLE’S; WIFE OF BATH’S PROLOGUE
ROMANCE
WIFE OF BATH’S; FRANKLIN’S; CLERK’S; MERCHANT’S; SQUIRE’S; MAN OF LAW’S; TALE OF SIR THOPAS
SATIRE
FRIAR’S; CANON YEOMAN’S
What has the tale of Custance been called, like the later tale of Griselda?
A secular saint’s life
Which of the tales are Christian romances?
Man of Law’s; Clerk’s
Which tales have the form of literary confession/apologia?
Wife of Bath’s Prologue; Pardoner’s Prologue; Canon’s Yeoman’s Prologue; first part of Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale
What type of romance is the Wife of Bath’s Tale?
Arthurian
EXEMPLUM
FRIAR’S; CLERK’S; PARDONER’S; MONK’S; MANCIPLE’S
What extensive body of contemporary literature attacking the Friars do the Summoner’s Tale and Prologue belong to?
“Anti-Fraternal” texts
What work can also be classified as an “Anti-Fraternal” text?
La Roman de la Rose
What does the “gift” that Thomas gives the friar in The Summoner’s Tale classify it with?
Other medieval jests and fabliaux involving a satiric legacy
Why is The Merchant’s an unusual type of fabliaux?
It is cast in high style
Which are the chivalric romances?
Knight’s; Squire’s
What makes the chivalric romance different from other types?
Its fantastical variety
What type of romance is Sir Thopas?
An old-fashioned minstrel romance
Which tale is a BRETON LAY?
Franklin’s
What sort of tale is The Physician’s?
Another of Chaucer’s tales of domestic pathos
Which are the moral tales?
Physician’s; Knight’s; Parson’s
What does The Pardoner’s Tale have some characteristics of?
A sermon
What is The Prioress’s Tale?
A “MIRACLE OF THE VIRGIN”, a very popular genre of devotional literature
What are the “miracle of the Virgin” stories like?
Short, often like children’s fairy tales, with the figure of the Jew playing the “boogie man”, from whom the Virgin protects the heroes and heroines
What type of romance is Sir Thopas?
English- popular minstrel
What characterises the minstrel romances?
Relatively brief narratives; designed for oral delivery; frequent direct addresses to the audience; calls for attention at the fit divisions; rough verse; lang characterised by a heavy use of formulas; emphasis on adventurous action rather than refined emotion
What theme is The Monk’s Tale based around?
Tragedy
What is the difference between Aristotelian and medieval tragedy?
Aristotelian- tragedy as a product of some tragic flaw in protagonist’s character; medieval- protagonist is victim rather than hero, raised up and then cast down by workings of Fortune
Which genres does The Nun’s Priest’s belong to?
Beast fable; mock-heroic tragedy
What genre is The Second Nun’s?
Hagiography- most popular genre of medieval devotional literature
What is the genre of hagiography often said to resemble (although not in THE LIFE OF SAINT CECILIA)?
Romance
Which tales are occupational/professional satires?
Friar’s; Summoner’s; Canon’s Yeoman’s
What genre can The Manciple’s be viewed as?
Etiological myth
What type of literature is The Parson’s Tale?
Tract on penance- a common form of didactic literature
What does the account of the Deadly Sins in The Parson’s Tale have an air of?
Estates Satire
Which text is structured as an Estates Satire as an account of the Seven Deadly Sins?
John Gower’s “Confessio Amantis”
What is Chaucer’s retraction in the tradition of?
The medieval “palinode”
What is the Estates Satire rather than a genre?
A mode
What does the somewhat processional nature of the General Prologue make it comparable to?
“Dance of Death”
What do the opening lines of the General Prologue constitute?
Learned version of the “reverdi”, a common form of simple French lyric celebrating the return of spring after the harshness of winter
What sets The Knight’s apart from most popular English romances at the time?
its high style; learned astrological references; heavy infusion of philosophical, mainly Boethian themes
What is the exchange of feelings that Aleyn and Malyne in The Reeve’s called?
Satiric aubade
Why is the aubade in The Reeve’s satirical?
Chaucer brings the high, courtly style of this love poem down to the level of the fabliaux
