Monday, November 21
QW
#4 – social class
Canterbury Tales Notes
Satire with The Simpsons
HW
= read pgs. 90-95 in packet &
finish notes for Mon.; vocab packet 2 &
quiz Tues.
Today’s Goals
Discuss
characterization/social class
Learn helpful historical background
information for The Canterbury Tales
Review the literary devices Chaucer
uses (satire, frame story)
QW #4 – Social Class
How
is RHS divided into social
groups? How can you tell who is in
which groups? Do people pick their
groups or are they assigned in some
way? Can you move from one group to
another with ease or is it difficult?
How do the members of each group
relate to members of other groups?
Introduction to The Canterbury
Tales
Characterization
Classicism
Medieval
social
structure
Changing times
Social satire
Characterization
The
process by which a writer
reveals the personality of a character
Can be direct or indirect
Narrator
can tell us
Describe how looks/dresses
Character’s words/actions
Reveal character’s thoughts/feelings
Showing how others respond to, think
about, or speak about the character
Classicism
Clergy
Nobility
Ruling
class
Aristocracy
Fighting class
Peasants
Middle
class (not recognized)
Trade class (not recognized)
Peasantry class
Women
(sorry, ladies)
Rigid structure
Attempts
to move from one group to
another was considered against the
laws of nature and of God.
The Three Estates
Men
were classed
according to what
they did
Those
who pray
Those who fight
Those who work
Men and Women
Women
were classed
according to their
relationship to men
Virgin
Wife
Widow
Changing Times
Renaissance
approaching
Science progressing
Greek literature rediscovered
Democracy
Capitalism
encouraged social change
Chaucer wrote “Tales” as satire
Satire
 Noun.
A literary
manner which blends
humor with criticism
for the purpose of
instruction; often
serves as an
exaggerated
reflection of society
The necessary ingredients
Humor
Criticism:
either general criticism of
humanity or human nature or specific
criticism of an individual or group.
Some kind of moral voice: simply mocking
or criticism is not “satire.”
The Satiric Manner
Ironic
Either
good natured criticism or bitterly
cynical denunciation.
More than a little bit prone to references
to things society finds taboo or disgusting
(bodily functions, sexuality, etc.)
Types of Satire
Parody
 a work of literature that mimics another work of
literature.
Caricature
 An exaggerated portrayal of the weaknesses, frailties, or
humorous aspects of an individual or group.
Exaggeration
 The portrayal of something trivial or unimportant as very
important, usually to emphasize its triviality.
Diminutization
 The portrayal of something generally perceived as very
important as trivial or unimportant.
The Canterbury Tales
 Written as “estates satire”
 Shows each of the three
estates and portrays the
ideal members of each, as
well as the problems with
the social structure
 Publicly exposed corruption
 Written in Middle English
Geoffrey Chaucer
Father
of English poetry
Before Chaucer, serious poets would not
write in English – felt that English could
not convey the nuances & complexities of
serious literature
Well-known gov’t official under Edward
III, Richard II, Henry IV
Why else is Chaucer important?
CT,
similar to Italy’s Decameron,
uses a frame device
Strength of spirit & personality – “In
a dark, troubled age, he was a
comfortable optimist, serene, full of
faith.” (John Gardner)
As we read…
Keep
in mind that it has been said
that Chaucer defends one true
virtue…charity – the good man’s
willingness to give the benefit of the
doubt, to find some nobility in even
the most wretched & deplorable of
people . Do you believe this is true?
Pilgrimage
Religious
journey made to a shrine or
a holy place
Pilgrims = many stations & many
stages in life
CT begins pilgrimage in spring = why
symbolic?
Murder of Beckett
 Friend
of King Henry
 Named Archbishop as
means to control the
Church
 Murdered by King’s
men when he defied
King’s authority
Pilgrimage to Canterbury
Beckett
was very
popular
Quickly made a
saint
Homage at his
tomb
“Frame” Tale
Over
twenty characters traveling
together to Canterbury
Inn’s Host challenges them to each tell a
story on the way to Canterbury
The best story wins a free dinner
Premise provides a “frame” within which
to hear the stories.
“Frame” Story
Includes
# of different narratives
Outer story (pilgrimage) unites
traveler’s individual tales (inner
stories)
Tales themselves have thematic unity