The Canterbury Tales

What is Chaucer called?

"The Father of English Literature"

Life and Times:

-live in the 14th century -son of a wine merchant, born 1340 -educated; served in royal households in admin position -able to travel for the crown to France and Italy -variety of jobs; witnessed economic, political, and social change in England

What was the purpose of pilgrimages?

-to show devotion -healing properties

Why do people go on pilgrimages?

-to show devotion -healing properties

What is the structure of The Canterbury Tales?

1. General Prologue 2. Characters' Prologues 3. Characters' Tales

When were the Canterbury Tales written?

14th century

Heroic Couplet:

2 paired lines of poetry, written in iambic pentameter; the pair must rhyme

Who is the author of The Canterbury Tales?

Geoffrey Chaucer

Where does the Summoner explain all of the Friars are in hell?

In Satan's butt

Where does humor come in in the Wife of Bath's Tale?

In the Wife of Bath's Tale, humor comes in when she describes herself as all these great things. She has married five times and believes that she is an expert at marriage. She believes that she can fool men into liking her and buying her new thing by accusing them of things they have not done. This causes humor to the readers. We laugh at the WOB, not at her story.

How are the Friar and the Summoner satirized?

The Friar and Summoner are being satirized by telling tales that mock one another. They make fun of one another, explaining how neither of them uphold their duties. As they make fun of one another it shows their own sinfulness and division in the Church. Their tales definitely cause humor to the readers and to one another as characters. We laugh at their stories.

In the Friar's Tale, what does the Summoner do for a living?

The Summoner blackmails the rich and the poor alike.

In the Friar's Tale , what is the Summoner's ironic sermon about?

The Summoner's ironic sermon is about the sins of gluttony, or consuming too much.

Who, in the General Prologue, had five husbands and thought they were an expert at marriage?

The Wife of Bath

Which character wears scarlet? What does it mean?

The Wife of Bath wears scarlet. It means her promiscuity.

What characters tale brings about the use of feminist and mysoginism?

The Wife of Bath's Tale

Frame Story:

a literary device in which a smaller story is told within the context of a tale

Romance:

a story focusing on the episodic adventures of knights and the challenges they face

Allegory:

a story with a purpose of teaching a moral lesson; characters and events represent abstract qualities or ideas

What form does the Prioress's Tale take?

prayer

How is each character identified in the General Prologue?

profession and appearance

Why does the Wife of Bath claim to be a good source?

she has a great amount of experience

Misogynist:

someone who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women

What does Chaucer's Tale tell?

tells the journey of pilgrims the Canterbury Cathedral

How is the Wife of Bath being satirized?

the Wife of Bath is being satirized by the way she acts in the role of a woman. This could have been written from a feminist point of view or a mysognomost point of view. Her aim is for women to have power over men and everything, so Chaucer is trying to satirize her views on power and marriage to provoke change.

What did Chaucer's work experience and travels afforded him with?

the ability to see people from all levels of society; allowed him to write characters of the lower, middle, and upper class

Feminist:

the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men

In the Friar's Tale, who does he discover his companion to be?

the devil

Verbal Irony:

the meaningful contrast between what is said and what is actually meant

The Canterbury Tales is a very important satire, pointing out what?

the need for change in Medieval beliefs and practices

Physiognomy:

the use of physical appearance to suggest attributes of a person's character or personality

Define physiognomy.

the use of physical appearance to to suggest a person's character or personality

Why did Chaucer write The Canterbury Tales?

to capture and satirize life in the Middle Ages

What do we note as a tool used to create satire?

verbal irony

What are two tools Chaucer uses to create satire?

verbal irony and physiognomy

Satire:

when an author ridicules and exposes the faults of his/her subject; used to provoke change

Define satire.

when an author ridicules or expose the faults of his or her subject; also used to provoke change

Define misogynist.

A misogynist is a person who is strongly prejudiced against women.

What object is the Summoner told to use to separate the fart in 12?

A wheel with 12 spokes

What excuse does Chaucer have for getting characters together?

Chaucer gets these characters together to go on a Pilgrimage to Canterbury.

What are Chaucer's thoughts on the Church?

Chaucer mocks the Catholic Church. This can be seen in both The Prologue and in the tales. In order to help the reader really understand his opinion toward the Catholic Church, Chaucer uses contrasting characters. The characters like the Nun, the Monk, and the Friar, for example, are described as caring more about money, finery, or their hobbies than about religion. A good example of the corruption of the Catholic Church is the Summoner. The Summoner's job is to summon people to church court. However, as long as they paid him, he was happy to excuse them.

How is the Prioress being satirized?

Chaucer satirizes how the Prioress is described in the General Prologue versus how she is portrayed when telling her tale. In the General Prologue, Chaucer depicts the Prioress as a charitable, tender, and anxious person. She was one of those people who felt so strongly for others that she would burst into tears if she saw a mouse caught in a trap. In the Prioress' Tale, Chaucer depicts the Prioress as a ruthless and callous woman. Instead of being passionate and loving towards all creatures, she punishes the Jews in her tale in a violent and horrible manner. The head of the cathedral cursed the Jews, and ordered their death by hanging. The Prioress' tenderness in the General Prologue shows a major contrast in her personality in the Prioress' Tale. The Prioress goes from a woman crying over a dead mouse to a woman who tells a story about murdering the Jews. Also, when we think of nuns we like to think of women who have taken the vows of poverty, chastity, and faithfulness to God, but instead the narrator praises other qualities in the general prologue like speaking French and having nice table manners. We can see that Chaucer is trying to point out the need for change in the church.

Define feminism.

Feminism is ​ the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

Who follows the Wife of Bath's Tale?

Friar

Who shows the division of the Church?

Friar and Summoner shows the division of the Church.

Since we know that the Summoner's companion is the devil, this is an instance of what type of irony?

dramatic

What language is the Canterbury Tales written in?

Middle English

What language was The Canterbury Tales was written in?

Middle English

Is justice served in the Wife of Bath's Tale?

No, justice is not served in the Wife of Bath's Tale because the Knight violently raped a young girl and King Arthur did not punish him accordingly. The queen offered him something to save himself, where he must return in one year to tell the queen what women want most. The knight meets an ugly wife who gives him the answer, and in the end he got what he wanted and received the pretty girl, but he did learn his lesson. In the end he gave the pretty women power.

What character wears a bracelet that says "Love conquers all."?

Prioress

What form does the Wife of Bath's Tale take?

Romance