Geoffrey Chaucer (1340? - 1400)
Geoffrey Chaucer made an enormous mark on the language and literature of England. Writing in an age when French was widely spoken in educated circles,
Chaucer was among the first writers to show that English could be a respectable
literary language. Today, his work is considered a cornerstone of English
literature.
Between 1350 and 1400, a large body of narrative works was produced in
England. These were written in Middle English, a language that had developed
and replaced the use of French, which had been the predominant language
of educated people in Britain. Literacy had become more common, and new printing methods had made literature more widely available; thus, educated citizens had access to more literary works. Popular narratives of the time included Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the King Arthur romances, with their themes of chivalry, love, and religious devotion; William Langland’s Piers Plowman, an allegory that
exposed the corruption of church, state, and society; and Geoffrey Chaucer’s groundbreaking work, The Canterbury Tales. It was Chaucer, with his sense of humor, style, and realistic characterizations, who overshadowed his peers, changed the nature of literature, and became known to subsequent generations as one of the greatest poets in the history of English literature.
Chaucer was among the first writers to show that English could be a respectable
literary language. Today, his work is considered a cornerstone of English
literature.
Between 1350 and 1400, a large body of narrative works was produced in
England. These were written in Middle English, a language that had developed
and replaced the use of French, which had been the predominant language
of educated people in Britain. Literacy had become more common, and new printing methods had made literature more widely available; thus, educated citizens had access to more literary works. Popular narratives of the time included Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and the King Arthur romances, with their themes of chivalry, love, and religious devotion; William Langland’s Piers Plowman, an allegory that
exposed the corruption of church, state, and society; and Geoffrey Chaucer’s groundbreaking work, The Canterbury Tales. It was Chaucer, with his sense of humor, style, and realistic characterizations, who overshadowed his peers, changed the nature of literature, and became known to subsequent generations as one of the greatest poets in the history of English literature.
Chaucer's Writing Style
Chaucer had no illusions about humanity, and yet his works show a compassion and fondness for human nature with all its faults and idiosyncrasies. Though The Canterbury Tales went unfinished, it is the work that best exhibits his unique style, which encompasses a variety of traits.
• Imagery and Figurative Language
Chaucer uses sparse but vivid imagery and figurative language to describe his characters’ physical appearance, as in his depiction of the Summoner: “His face on fire, like a cherubin, / For he had carbuncles.”
• Irony
The contrast between expectation and reality is known as irony. The ironist seems to be writing with tongue in cheek, and Chaucer is master of it. While calling attention to his characters’ faults, he also emphasizes their essential humanity. This gives his writing a tone of detachment and compassion. Note the irony he uses in his
description of the Doctor, one of the pilgrims described in “The Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales.
"Yet he was rather close as to expenses
And kept the gold he won in pestilences.
Gold stimulates the heart, or so we’re told.
He therefore had a special love of gold."
—from “The Prologue”
• Characterization
A writer develops characters by describing their physical appearance, making direct statements about them, and allowing them to express their personalities through dialogue. In The Canterbury Tales, each of Chaucer’s
characters is also clearly differentiated by the type of story he or she tells and the voice in which each tale is told. Compare these two passages, the first narrated by the Pardoner, and the second narrated by the Wife of Bath. What does each one suggest about its narrator?
"It’s of three rioters I have to tell
Who, long before the morning service bell,
Were sitting in a tavern for a drink."
—from “The Pardoner’s Tale”
"Others assert we women find it sweet
When we are thought dependable, discreet
And secret, firm of purpose and controlled,
Never betraying things that we are told."
—from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”
• Imagery and Figurative Language
Chaucer uses sparse but vivid imagery and figurative language to describe his characters’ physical appearance, as in his depiction of the Summoner: “His face on fire, like a cherubin, / For he had carbuncles.”
• Irony
The contrast between expectation and reality is known as irony. The ironist seems to be writing with tongue in cheek, and Chaucer is master of it. While calling attention to his characters’ faults, he also emphasizes their essential humanity. This gives his writing a tone of detachment and compassion. Note the irony he uses in his
description of the Doctor, one of the pilgrims described in “The Prologue” to The Canterbury Tales.
"Yet he was rather close as to expenses
And kept the gold he won in pestilences.
Gold stimulates the heart, or so we’re told.
He therefore had a special love of gold."
—from “The Prologue”
• Characterization
A writer develops characters by describing their physical appearance, making direct statements about them, and allowing them to express their personalities through dialogue. In The Canterbury Tales, each of Chaucer’s
characters is also clearly differentiated by the type of story he or she tells and the voice in which each tale is told. Compare these two passages, the first narrated by the Pardoner, and the second narrated by the Wife of Bath. What does each one suggest about its narrator?
"It’s of three rioters I have to tell
Who, long before the morning service bell,
Were sitting in a tavern for a drink."
—from “The Pardoner’s Tale”
"Others assert we women find it sweet
When we are thought dependable, discreet
And secret, firm of purpose and controlled,
Never betraying things that we are told."
—from “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”
Chaucer's Frame Story
The frame story is a literary device that joins together one or more stories within a larger story, or frame. Frame stories have been used throughout the world and date back to antiquity. The Panchatantra, a collection of Sanskrit fables gathered around 200 b.c., is an ancient Indian example of a frame story. Giovanni Boccaccio’s Decameron is a well-known Italian frame story in which a collection of stories are told by different characters.
The Canterbury Tales is one of the most famous examples of the frame story. In
his innovative use of the device, Chaucer interwove the frame with the tales. The
plot of the frame involves pilgrims on a pilgrimage who are challenged to compete in telling the best tale. Chaucer reveals the pilgrims’ personalities not only through their interactions between tales but also by the
tales they tell. As a result, the frame itself acts as a long and engaging narrative whole.
The Canterbury Tales is one of the most famous examples of the frame story. In
his innovative use of the device, Chaucer interwove the frame with the tales. The
plot of the frame involves pilgrims on a pilgrimage who are challenged to compete in telling the best tale. Chaucer reveals the pilgrims’ personalities not only through their interactions between tales but also by the
tales they tell. As a result, the frame itself acts as a long and engaging narrative whole.
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"The Prologue"
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A Few of the Canterbury Tales
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The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Knight's Tale, and The Wife of Bath's Tale
The Pardoner's Tale |
The Franklin's Tale |