Introduction to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales:
In the Middles Ages, England and much of Europe was scored with the welltrodden paths of pilgrimage. Good Christians, either as a gesture of
thanksgiving, or of repentance, or simply as an affirmation of faith, tried at least
once in their lives to make the journey to one of the holy places – perhaps to the
shrine of St James of Compostella in Spain, or to that of Our Lady at Lourdes,
or even as far as Jerusalem itself. In England the most frequented routes were to
the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham – the Walsingham Way – and that from
London to the tomb of the martyr St Thomas a’ Becket in the cathedral at
Canterbury.
It is not known whether Chaucer himself ever made this particular pilgrimage,
but as a narrative device (a company of pilgrims on the road) it is superb. The
journey itself, from the Tabard Inn at Southwark in the City of London to
Canterbury, would have taken several days, and Chaucer’s plan was for thirty or
so pilgrims each to tell four stories, two on the way there, two on the way back.
His scheme was never completed. Nonetheless, we are left with twenty-four
tales and an unforgettable group of characters which, both by status and
temperament, provides a wide cross-section of fourteenth century England, from
the nobly born and virtuous Knight, with his story of sacrifice and chivalry, to
the rascally Miller, whose chief interests lie in trickery and fornication.
Geoffrey Chaucer, often called “the father of English poetry”, was born about
the year 1342, and died probably in 1400, the first of a long line to be buried in
what is now known as Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. His father had
connections with the wine trade, and Chaucer himself made a successful career
in the medieval equivalent of the Civil Service. As a boy he was employed as
page to John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster; he fought in France during the
Hundred Years’ War; and he became an important member of the household of
Edward III, frequently travelling abroad on the King’s business. During the
reign of Edward’s successor, Richard II, Chaucer left London and the court to
live in Kent where he was appointed Justice of the Peace and Knight of the
Shire.
In 1386 he retired from office for a period of three years, and it is believed that it
was during this time that he began to write The Canterbury Tales, without
question the greatest narrative poem of its kinds in the English language.
Read the text carefully and answer these questions:
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About pilgrimages:
Who were the pilgrims?
What were their motivations?
What is a pilgrimage?
Name the three most famous pilgrimages in the Middle Ages.
Name the two most famous pilgrimages in England in the Middle Ages.
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About The Canterbury Tales :
What is the narrative device (procédé)?
What do you know about the setting (cadre) of the Tales (period / place)?
Which journey do the characters undertake?
How many tales are there?
Name two characters and give their qualities.
Say approximately when the Tales were written.
Which literary genre do the Tales belong to?
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About the author:
Who wrote The Canterbury Tales?
Give his dates.
What is his nickname?
Where is he buried?
What do you know about his family background?
What was his job (try to find an equivalent today)?
What was the historical background in his lifetime?
Name two English kings who reigned during his lifetime.
Now recap everything you know about The Canterbury Tales.