Who was Geoffrey Chaucer

1
Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?

• 1340-1400
• The father of English literature
• Active civil servant
• Soldier, diplomat, courtier, translator
• Opportunity to observe people and their
  characteristics
• Canterbury Tales

2
Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?

• Avoided imprisonment in 1388
• Four friends captured and assassinated for their
  part in political struggles b/t the Duke of
  Gloucester and the allies of the king.

3
Who was Geoffrey Chaucer?

• What events in Chaucers life might have
  influenced his writing?
• What effect might these events have had on his
  point of view?
• How might Chaucers attitude toward people have
  been affected by his career?

4
The Canterbury Tales

• Name some shrines that people may visit today.
• Why do people travel to these places?
• Pilgrimages
• Religious pilgrimages popular during Medieval
  times
• Vacation, salvation of souls

5
The Canterbury Tales

• Shrine of Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of
  Canterbury
• Adversary of King Henry II
• Church v. State
• Murdered by armed band of men
• One of the most important centers of Christendom
• pilgrimages

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The Canterbury Tales

• Pilgrimages to St. Thomas shrine
• Central to The Canterbury Tales
• Blended secular with clerical
• Journey of spiritual grace with the mood of a
  vacation
• universally humane and Medieval

7
The Canterbury Tales

• Satirical
• Mock-heroic
• Elegant language used to describe everyday
  objects and happenings.

8
Journal

• What moves a hero to act?
• Consider many heroes are tempted on their
  journeys. For example, Sir Gawain is tempted to
  steal from his host. In your journals, write
  about why you think people may be tempted to
  steal.

9
Influences on the Medieval Narrative

• Popular legends from the early Middle Ages that
  were embellished over time.
• Religious literature that passed along the ideals
  and beliefs of an era.
• Urban growth, cultural development, and
  widespread disease that altered social
  circumstances.

10
Medieval Literature

• Emerged from earlier legends, like King Arthur.
• Themes love, betrayal, conquest, hope, and
  desire.
• Not all Medieval Lit. is dark.
• Romance and Religious narratives
• Combine entertaining travel adventures with
  morally instructive religious stories.

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Medieval Lit.

• Through the use of allegories, stories in which
  literal elements represent abstract or moral
  concepts, medieval literature explored cultural
  ideals, confirmed values, and amused audiences.
• As the middle ages progressed, elements of daily
  life popped up in the literature (reality of city
  living, fear of the plague).
• These stories explore diverse characters and a
  range of themes, include romance, faith, and
  humor, alongside darker, more humanistic themes.

12
Romance in Medieval Lit.

• Chronicles the adventures of a brave hero who
  undertakes a quest and overcomes great danger.
• P. 114

13
Medieval Literature

• 900 years ago Chretien de Troyes, a friend court
  poet, began to craft tales of knightly adventures
  focusing on the exploits of King Arthur and the
  Knights of the Round Table.
• Chretien invented the style of narrative that is
  known today as Arthurian romance.

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Not just a love story

• The Medieval Romance is a long narrative that
• Tells the adventures of a hero on a quest for
  something valuable.
• Love can play a role, but the hero is the focus.
• Because the hero is bound by the code of chivalry
  (which emphasizes loyalty to his lord and service
  to those who are oppressed) many romances are
  about seeking justice and helping those in need.

15
The Romance Hero

• Almost always encounters an adventure or series
  of trials.
• Receives a reward or fulfillment.
• Strives to prove his worth, by helping others in
  need.

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• Arthur is the model or archetypal romance hero-
  the medieval descendant of the epic hero!
• Handsome, strong.
• Nobel
• Strict moral code
• Grows up in obscurity
• Undergoes a childhood initiation involving a
  magic weapon
• As an adult he fights to defeat evil and promote
  peace.
• Throughout his life he is aided by magical
  weapons and mysterious events.
• Even his departure implies that he may return to
  help his people in need.

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• Today, the term romance means any story that
  presents a happier, more perfect, more heroic
  world!

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The Medieval Romance Narrative

• Prose or poetry.
• Idealized hero who undertakes a great quest or
  overcomes danger for the sake of a noble lady or
  high ideal.
• Faces trials and adventures encountering
  supernatural or magical beings.

19
Gawain the Gallant

• One of the most famous Arthurian Romances is Sir
  Gawain and the Green Knight.
• Probably written around 1375.
• At the time, ideals of knightly conduct were
  fading, and the poem is filled with romantic
  conventions that cling to those concepts!

20
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

• King Arthur and his knights are celebrating
  christmas in Camelot.
• An enormous, green stranger arrives with a huge
  ax and challenges any knight to hit him, then he
  will return the hit in one year and a day.
• Gawain, the best of all knights, accepts the
  challenge.

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• Gawain beheads the stranger.
• The green knight picks up his head, repeats the
  challenge, and rides away.
• The rest of the story tells of when Gawain
  encounters the Green Knight on the appointed day.

22
Reading Focus

• Cause and Effect!
• Cause the event that makes something happen.
• Effect the result of that event.
• Sometimes, one action follows another but is NOT
  caused by it, 2 events that are wrongly labeLd as
  cause and effect create a LOGICAL FALLACY!

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Gawain beheads the green knight
Gawain must accept the green knights challenge.
CAUSE
EFFECT
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IMAGERY

• Writers often use imagery to share their ideas
  with readers.
• A writer might present a visual picture of a
  dream, for example, to share a characters
  innermost feelings in a dramatic way.
• While reading, note the imagery that helps you
  understand and experience the romance heros
  challenges.

25
Before you read.

• What contemporary story or movie can you think of
  that fits most of the criteria for a medieval
  romance?????

26
When you finish reading

• Answer questions 1-6 8 9
• Analyze the visual on pg. 197

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CT and Medieval Lit.

• CT includes romance, faith, and humor alongside
  darker, more humanistic themes.

28
While your reading.

• Create a characterization chart
• Main Character Key Detail What the detail
  emphasizes What it makes you feel
• Ex. The Knight (ln 47-8) It
  tells us hes a brave man,
• strong warrior,
• and someone of great experience