JEOFFREY CHAUCER
C. 1340-1400
LIFE
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BORN IN LONDON
RICH FAMILY, FINE EDUCATION
TRAVELS: FRANCE, ITALY AS A DIPLOMAT
BURIED IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY - POET’S CORNER
THE CANTERBURY TALES
1387-1400 (unfinished)
THE FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK OF POETRY IN ENGLISH
!!!!ENGLISH→ VEHICLE FOR ARTISTIC AND
LITERARY EXPRESSION!!!
CONCEPT OF AUTHORSHIP THE WRITER SIGNS WHAT HE
WRITES (BEFORE: ANONYMOUS AUTHORS)
THEMES
Major theme: THE PILGRIMAGE
PILGRIMAGE: TYPICAL EXPERIENCE IN THE MIDDLE AGE
PILGRIMAGE: DOUBLE MEANING
1.
2.
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE
COLLECTIVE AND SOCIAL EVENTS → PEOPLE GET IN TOUCH
WITH THE OTHERS
THEMES
Other themes
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RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
THE JOURNEY - INDIVIDUAL JOURNEY, COLLECTIVE JOURNEY
THE CHANGING ROLE OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY
THE MEANING OF LIFE
THE ROLE AND IMPORTANCE OF STORYTELLING - USED TO REVEAL THE
MEANING OF LIFE
VARIETY OF HUMAN LIFE AND EXPERIENCES
SOCIETY IN THE CANTERBURY TALES
THE CANTERBURY TALES
--- VIVID PORTRAIT OF ENGLISH MEDIEVAL SOCIETY
VIVID= REAL LIFE CHARACTERS FROM THE NEW EMERGING CLASSES
--- PORTRAITS OF FEMALE CHARACTERS: WOMEN HAVE FREEDOM OF
MOVEMENT AND CAN BECOME INDEPENDENT
STYLE
NARRATIVE POEM → IT CONTAINS A STORY, A NARRATION
NARRATIVE FRAME → STORIES ARE LOCATED WITHIN A FRAME, WHICH IS THE
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PILGRIMAGE TO CANTERBURY
The pilgrims
meet in
London ad
decide to tell 2
stories each