Geoffrey Chaucer
Valentina Tenedini
Istituzione scolastica REGINA MARIA ADELAIDE AOSTA
Chaucer was the son of a London merchant. He grew up and worked in contact with the
royal family of the Plantagenets, first as esquire of the royal court, then as a controller of
the customs for the port of London, in addition to that he also took part in important
diplomatic missions.
He served 3 kings (Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV).
Chaucer is regarded as the father of the English literature, as by writing the Canterbury
Tales in the vernacular dialect of London, he gave Middle English the standard of a
national language, that is to say appropriate for literature.
During his life Chaucher travelled to Italy, where he became interested in the works of
Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio.
His works are typically classified into 3 periods: the French, the Italian and the English
according to the tradition which inspired them.
1.The Works of the French period were modelled on French romance, styles and
themes. E.g.“The romaunt of the rose”, (about medieval courtly love).
2.The Works of the Italian period show a greater maturity of perception and skill in
metre-mastering. E.g. “Troylus and Criseyde”, (about the love between a Trojan prince and
Criseyde) which was adapted from a work by Boccaccio.
3.The Works of the English period feauture greater realism; the Canterbury
Tales, CHAUCER’S MASTERPIECE.
the Canterbury tales
The Canterbury tales is a collection of the stories told by 30 people,
including the author, who are going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury.
The collection provides: - a portrait of the British Medieval society as the
pilgrims come from almost all ranks of society (the chivalry, the clergy,
the middle class),
- as well as an anthology of the most common literary forms and genres of
the time.
The tales are prefaced by a General Prologue where each pilgrim is
introduced . Each description varies in length, point of view and tone.
The characters are presented by Chaucer both ‘by showing and by telling’;
their social rank and personality is conveyed through the mediating role
of the narrating pilgrim ( G. C. himself) who looks on his fellows with a
benevolent, ironic eye.
The jouney - from the Tabard Inn in London -a place associated with earthly
pleasures and conviviality - to St. T. Becket’s shrine in Canterbury - a
figuratively celestial city, can be seen as having an allegorical meaning;
however the pilgrims do not reach Canterbury as the work remained
unfinished.
Canterbury Tales Vs. Decameron
the Canterbury Tales has often been paralleled to Boccaccio's Decameron. In these
works there are similarities as well as differences.
parallel
Decameron
Canterbury tales
prose
Narrative poem
finished
unaccomplished
NARRATOR
external
internal
CHARACTERS
10 young bourgeois
REASON FOR
MEETING
TOTAL N ° of stories
1 per character
4 per character
SET THEME
YES
NO
TALE TELLING
PURPOSE
competition
entertainment
entertainment
no
yes
STYLE
30 people from all walks
of life
Escaping from the plague Going on a pilgrimage
To be continued….
4
Chaucer and Dante
•
• How does Chaucer stand in the history of Literature?
WE think he stands halfway between Dante and Shakespeare.
since
- like the Italian poet Chaucer is called the Father of his national
language;
- like Dante he dealt with an allegorical journey.
Chaucer between
Dante & Shakespeare
IN OUR OPINION Chaucer stands between Dante and Shakespeare WITHIN the
history of European literature :
•all 3 authors are interested in the vices and virtues of human beings; in his focusing on
mankind, Chaucer is more secular than Dante, while Shakespeare brings the analysis of
human types to a level of extreme sensibility and literary perfection; as a matter of fact,
Chaucer's characters provided inspiration for some of Shakespeare's. For instance, Falstaff
seems to quote the Wife of Bath, as well as being her contemporary and Chaucer lived at
the time of Richard II and Henry IV;- as if the two authors could interact in a kind of
cross temporal dialogue (since many of Shakespeare's characters were contemporaries of
Chaucer's Pilgrims.)
•How do Dante, Chaucer and Shakespeare feel about their
characters? FROM WHAT WE HAVE READ OF THESE AUTHORS WE CAN SAY
THAT
•Dante often shows his admiration or critical opinion, while Chaucer seems to prefer to
suspend his judgment and resort to irony instead.
•Shakespeare brings the character's insight and presentation to absolute effectiveness (it
must be remembered that in drama the characters speak for themselves on stage , without
the mediating role of a narrator.)