The Canterbury Tales Flashcards
Who was Chaucer influenced by and how?
Boccaccio
- narrative of a group
- human nature
- blending genres
who is Chaucer’s contemporary and what influenced his work?
Gower (Confessio Amantis); series of tales
what is he coined with using?
English vernacular and heroic couplets
when was it written?
1385-1400
which other languages did he use and how?
french & italian poetry forms
classic latin (Virgil)
how is the classical latin from Virgil shown in this story?
Aeneid: moral & ethical lessons through storytelling
Epic convention of long speeches
elevated language
he is said to have shaped _________.
Renaissance humanism
how was the elevated language conveyed?
east Midland dialect
what events influenced Chaucer’s writing?
Plague
100 years war (english identity/ self-reflection)
peasants’ revolt (all the classes in story)
why did he write this in middle english not latin or french?
to try and elevate the english language so it’s seen as a business language
the knight
out of medieval romance
generalized
generous
the squire
knight’s son
educated
cultural shift to the arts
white & red (Petrarch)
yeoman
cares for equipment
forester
(pickle priest)
priestess/ nun/ prioress
modest but informal (Madame)
sings, speaks english french not france french
imitates courtly behavior
golden A with crown (Amor Vincit omnia)
what does “Amor Vincit Omnia” mean?
love conquers all
