The document provides background information on Geoffrey Chaucer and his most famous work, The Canterbury Tales. It discusses Chaucer's life, the structure of The Canterbury Tales as a frame story with pilgrims telling tales, and summaries of some of the pilgrims introduced in the Prologue such as the Wife of Bath, the Summoner, and the Pardoner. The Tales provide social commentary through satire and irony, offering insights into life in medieval England across different social classes.

1. Chaucer and The
Canterbury Tales
8.3, 8.4, 8.5
II–THEMIDDLE
AGES

2. The Middle Ages

3. Language
• French did not become either the official or unofficial
language of England.
• William was not combining the lands of Normandy and
England, and had no wish to replace language or culture.
• Latin and English were used for most documents and formal
proclamations by William, and the English legal system was
renewed, not replaced.
• Nevertheless, the upper class was almost completely taken
over by (French speaking) Normans, and although the system
was English, many of the legal proceedings and documents
were in French.

4. Feudalism
• Law of the land
• Upper nobility class maintained control over the
lower classes
• Rigid structure of government consisted of kings,
nobles (barons), and the peasants (serfs)
• Leaders of the church and neighboring nobles held
sway
• King needed a way to maintain control over his
lands, even if indirectly
• Barons were given a large portion of the king's land,
known as fiefs or manors. In turn, they had to
pay "homage and fealty" to the king
• Gave their support to the king at all times, governing
the land that was given them, and being ready to
Feudalism

5. • Murdered in 1170 (assassinated by
followers of the King Henry in Canterbury
Cathedral)
• Canonized as both saint and martyr
following his murder
• The Shrine of Saint Thomas of Beckett
became a popular destination for religious
pilgrimages during the Middle Ages
Saint Thomas á Becket

6. • 1348 – Black Plague reached England and wiped
out 1/3 of the population (2.25 million to 3.75
million)
• The sudden collapse of the population sent
prices skyrocketing by increasing the price of
labor while decreasing the price of land
• The overall effect of the Plague was to hasten the
collapse of feudalism by creating intense
competition for labor and tenants
Illustration of the Black Death from the Toggenburg Bible (1411)
The Black Death

7. His Life &
Times
Geoffrey Chaucer

8. Geoffrey Chaucer (1343 – 1400)
 Son of London vintner (winemaker)
 Served in the royal household (page to 2nd son of
Edward III) and later held a series of administrative
posts under Edward and Richard II.
 Visited France and Italy on behalf of the crown during
the 1360's and 1370‘s.
 Chaucer's career illustrates the economic, political, and
social ferment of late 14th century England (landed
wealth versus moneyed wealth).
 Well-travelled on diplomatic missions for the king
 Read English, Latin, Italian, and French

9. The Canterbury Tales
An Overview

10. Some Background
•Begun: 1386
•Planned: 120 tales
•Completed: 22 tales and 2 fragments
Pilgrimage was a “framing device” for
tales; tales also have “thematic unity”.
The pilgrims share stories to pass the
time; these stories described the very
different points-of-view and beliefs and
practices of the people of Chaucer’s age.
Background

11. The Three Estates
Those Who Work (Peasants & Middle
Class)
Merchants, Laborers, Farmers,
Government officials, etc.
Those Who Pray (Clergy)
Priests, Monks, Nuns, Friars, Pardoners
Those Who Fight (Nobility)
Knights, Squires, Mercenaries, Princes,
Dukes, etc.
The Three Estates

12. Pilgrimages
•Pilgrimages began as exercises in penance
(attempt to earn forgiveness)
•Roads were poorly maintained. Thieves hid
in wait for lone travelers, so most people
traveled as “pilgrims” in a large group.
•Later on, travel improved, but getting to
far-off spots (e.g. Jerusalem) was never
easy or safe.
•“Professional” pilgrims returned with
relics, badges, pilgrim symbols, tall tales
(some of these were falsified).
Pilgrimages

13. Each of the characters in The Canterbury
Tales tells their own story, which has a new,
unique cast of characters.
The Canterbury Tales is the story of a group of
pilgrims who tell stories as they travel to
Canterbury; each pilgrim’s story stands alone
as its own story, but fits within the overall
story of the journey.
Content Knowledge: Frame Story

14. Content Knowledge: Irony
• Irony: incongruity between what might
be expected and what actually occurs.
•coincidence is not irony, though the
two are similar.
• Verbal irony: the contrast between what
is said and what is actually meant.
•the surface meaning and the
underlying meaning of what is said is
not the same.
Content Knowledge: Irony

15. Content Knowledge: Satire
• Chaucer provides some details that
contradict what the characters think of
themselves. This is a form of satire:
•witty language convey insult/scorn
•ridicules its subject (for example,
individuals, organizations, or states)
often as an intended means of
provoking or preventing change
Content Knowledge: Satire

16. The Significance of The Canterbury Tales
1. Accurate depiction of life in the
Middle Ages (class levels,
interactions between the classes)
2. First story about lower classes (mix
of classes)
3. Satire & humor for social / political
/ religious commentary.
4. “The Canterbury Tales” point out
problems within society.
The Significance of The Canterbury Tales

17. How we learn about the pilgrims
Social rank, moral & spiritual condition
Include many of the following:
physiognomy – physical features (esp.
facial)
clothes
job
hobbies
food choice
humor
their words

18. Overview
Some tales are serious, others are
comical.
Each is an accurate description of a set of
traits, beliefs, and faults.
Chaucer criticized the malpractice of the
clergy, and poked fun at those from the 3
estates. (nobility, clergy, commoner)
Many of the tales shared similar themes;
some tales are told in response to a
previous tale (e.g. a story about the joy of
immorality is followed by a story about
Overview

19. The Canterbury Tales
The Prologue

20.  Narrator is Chaucer,
but don’t confuse
“pilgrim Chaucer”
with “author Chaucer”
 Narrator is acting as a
reporter of what
others say, not
adding/removing.
 Pretends to be
unaware of irony or
The Narrator

21. The Wife of Bath
The Wife of Bath is one of three
women on the trip.
“She was a worthy woman all her
life”, the narrator says, then
mentions her 5 husbands. This is
an example of ______.
She is a business woman with a
strong sense of self-importance,
her elaborate dress is a sign of
her character as well as her
wealth.
note that she is probably in her
forties and is married to a man
in his twenties
The Wife of Bath

22. The Summoner, the Pardoner
•The Summoner and the
Pardoner are the most
unlikeable figures; one
administers the church
courts, the other sells
pardons (indulgences).
•The Pardoner is a church
official who sells fake relics
•The Summoner is suffering
from some kind of skin
disease.
The Summoner and the Pardoner