Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer

• He has been called the "father of English literature"
• He was a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament
• He was also a philosopher and an astronomer
• He legitimised the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages were still French and Latin
• He was born in London in the early 1340s

The Canterbury Tales

• It is one of the most important works in English liteature
• The tales were mainly written in a London dialect of late Middle English
• A collection of twenty-four stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400
• Most of the tales are written in verse, but 2 are written in prose
• Use of a framing device
  • The tales are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims that are traveling from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral
  • The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at on their return
• It may be an unfinished work, as the author's intentions according to the Prologue was to write four stories for each pilgrim to tell
• It is in many ways similar to the Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio
• The variety of Chaucer's tales showcases his familiarity and skill with many different linguistic styles
• The author avoids targeting any specific audience, focusing instead on the characters and on their tales, using writing styles that reflect their social status and knowledge
• The Tales reflect diverse views of the Church. After the Black Death, many started to question the authority of the Church
• Two characters, the Pardoner and the Summoner, who apply the Church's power, are both portrayed as corrupt, greedy, and abusive
• The Knight's Tale shows how the brotherly love of two knights turns into a deadly conflict at the sight of a woman that they both idealise
  • It is possible that The Knight's Tale was intended to show the flaws of chivalry
• Two tales, Sir Topas and The Tale of Melibee, are told by Chaucer himself, who is traveling with the pilgrims
• The Tales reflect the conflict between different social classes
• The characters each express their own views of reality, emphasizing how reality is not a "truth" because everyone perceives things differently