U5 L6 Fourteenth-Century writers: Chaucer Flashcards
What kind of parallels exist between conditions of the 14th and 20th century?
- times of change
- agrarian society with fixed prices and population
- to urban structure based on commerce and industry
Where does the name Chaucer come from?
French word chaussier, meaning shoemaker
Who may have been Chaucer’s immediate ancestors?
prosperous vintners (wine merchant)
When is Chaucer thought to be born and to whom?
- 1340s
- John Chaucer and (supposedly) agnes
What was Europe’s form of government during the medieval period?
aristocratic
What was the structure of the feudal system?
King- granted land
Nobles- supplied money and men for defense
Lesser Nobles- dependent in Nobles, supplied same things
Knights- bottom
What did the economic system of the manor control?
serfs
By Chaucer’s time, what was beginning to happen to feudalism?
decline, replaced by industry and trade
What are three of Chaucer’s pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales that reflect the feudal system?
- The Knight
- The Squire
- The Knight’s yeoman (servant in Prologue)
What age did the The Squire become a squire and knight?
S-14
K-21
Who was a Franklin?
- landowners
- may have took part in feudal by contributing money/men than defending lord
What class was the Franklin a representative of?
new rich middle class
Who was a Miller?
- resident of manor/town
- served an area
Who was a Reeve?
estate manager in lord’s abscence
Who was a Plowman?
freeman
Why was the 14th century considered a period of transition?
- agrarian economy to commerce/industry
- Hundred Years War, political and economic
- Black Death
- growing power of middle class
- peasant rebellions
What did Chaucer serve in the Hundred Years War?
military service
Where and when was Chaucer captured?
French near Rheims, 1360
Who was Chaucer’s wife?
Philippa Roet
Who was Philippa Roet’s sister and who did she marry?
Katherine of Swynford, John of Gaunt
How many children is Chaucer believed to have?
- daughter and two sons
- 3
What were the occupations Chaucer had in his lifetime?
- civil servant
- diplomat to France and Italy
- Comptroller
- justice of the peace
- Parliament member
In 1394, what had Chaucer been appointed as?
Comptroller of Customs and Subsides on Wool, Skins, and Hides for the port of London
What did Chaucer work as when he moved to Kent?
- justice of the peace
- Parliament member
When did Chaucer’s wife die?
1387
What did Chaucer do after the death of his wife?
-returned to London
-took office as Clerk of the King’s Works
two years later- deputy forester for royal forest in Somerset
In spit of his government offices and royal gifts, what was Chaucer repeatedly in?
debt
Who wrote poems Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and Pearl?
Pear Poet (not much known)
What is Sir Gawain and the Green Knight? Why is it important
- Arthurian romance
- presents 14 cent customs and seasonal changes
What is Pearl?
- elegy
- dream vision
- religious allegory containing vision of Paradise
- combining French and English elements
What is the twist in Pearl?
girl is the poet’s two year old daughter who died
What did pearls symbolize in Christianity?
- purity
- virtue
- truth
What is dream-vision?
- poetic device used in 14 cent
- poet walks in meadow/wood usually in spring
- drifts off
- has dream/vision that is usually an allegory
What are works of Chaucer that contain dream-vision?
- Book of the Duchesse
- The Parlement of Foules (birds)
- The House of Fame
- Nun’s Priest’s Tale
Dumb Follies are Famously Priests
Who were 2 Mystics that recorded visions and spiritual insights?
- Richard Rolle
- Julian of Norwich
What was the Handlyng Synne?
- compilation of moral tales
- Robert Mannying
Who wrote The Vision of William Concerning Piers the Plowman?
William Langland
What is Piers Plowman about?
- long poem
- religious allegory, satire, social history, dream vision
rassdv
What is Piers Plowman written in?
alliterative verse
How many languages did John Gower write in?
3
What did Chaucer call John Gower?
moral Gower
What is John Gower most famous for?
Confessio Amantis
