MODULE OVERVIEW
Within the framework of a Christian pilgrimage from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral, the sober and the frivolous, the noble and the salacious are thrown together as a humorous but representative illustration of an eclectic medieval society. The worthy Knight, the drunken Miller, the hypocritical Pardoner, and the lusty Wife of Bath are among the assorted pilgrims competing as entertainment along the way to tell the best tale: legends of chivalric and fantastical romance, lewd fabliaux and honorable tales of justice, war, and love.
This study unit will offer an analysis of selected readings from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the insight it provides into the social, religious, philosophical, and psychological instability of the fourteenth century. We will place Chaucer's text in the context of both literary and intellectual history, and we will confront directly their relevance to an understanding of the most persistent idioms of Western culture.
Within the framework of a Christian pilgrimage from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral, the sober and the frivolous, the noble and the salacious are thrown together as a humorous but representative illustration of an eclectic medieval society. The worthy Knight, the drunken Miller, the hypocritical Pardoner, and the lusty Wife of Bath are among the assorted pilgrims competing as entertainment along the way to tell the best tale: legends of chivalric and fantastical romance, lewd fabliaux and honorable tales of justice, war, and love.
This study unit will offer an analysis of selected readings from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the insight it provides into the social, religious, philosophical, and psychological instability of the fourteenth century. We will place Chaucer's text in the context of both literary and intellectual history, and we will confront directly their relevance to an understanding of the most persistent idioms of Western culture.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Examine the literary, social, and religious satire in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
- Explain the role of the framed narrative in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Dante's Inferno, and other works.
- Compare works of medieval literature and art, particularly their depiction of character and their focus on the otherworldly.
LITERARY TEXTS
Online Resources for Wife of Bath vs. Church Fathers Packet
Online Resources for Chaucer and Canterbury Tales
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The Canterbury Pilgrims
Geoffrey Chaucer
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TERMS TO KNOW
Estates satire
Exemplum Frame narrative |
Iambic pentameter
Irony Satire |
The Canterbury Tales Animated Film
Offered below is an an engaging and entertaining three-part stop-motion and animated adaption of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Parthenon Entertainment Ltd., 2008). It features the voices of some of Britain's best actors and at the same time manages to preserve much of Chaucer's spirited earthiness. Animation styles include ink and pencil drawings, claymation and stencil animation. Part 1 includes The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Knight's Tale, and The Wife of Bath's Tale. Part 2 includes The Merchant's Tale, The Pardoner's Tale, and The Franklin's Tale. Part 3 includes The Squire's Tale, The Canon's Yeoman's Tale, and The Miller's Tale.
Offered below is an an engaging and entertaining three-part stop-motion and animated adaption of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Parthenon Entertainment Ltd., 2008). It features the voices of some of Britain's best actors and at the same time manages to preserve much of Chaucer's spirited earthiness. Animation styles include ink and pencil drawings, claymation and stencil animation. Part 1 includes The Nun's Priest's Tale, The Knight's Tale, and The Wife of Bath's Tale. Part 2 includes The Merchant's Tale, The Pardoner's Tale, and The Franklin's Tale. Part 3 includes The Squire's Tale, The Canon's Yeoman's Tale, and The Miller's Tale.
Canterbury Tales Animated Film Part 1
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Canterbury Tales Animated Film Part 2
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Canterbury Tales Animated Film Part 3
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Audio of first fourteen lines of the "General Prologue" of The Canterbury Tales
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