Review the following literary terms for this unit:
frame narrative satire allegory iambic pentameter heroic couplets royal rhyme prose parable fabliaux irony symbolism imagery allusion archetype anachronism |
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London sometime between 1340 and 1344 to John Chaucer and Agnes Copton. John Chaucer was an affluent wine merchant and deputy to the king’s butler. Through his father’s connections, Geoffrey held several positions early in his life, serving as a noblewoman’s page, a courtier, a diplomat, a civil servant, and a collector of scrap metal. His early life and education were not strictly documented although it can be surmised from his works that he could read French, Latin, and Italian.
In 1359, Chaucer joined the English army’s invasion of France during the Hundred Years’ War and was taken prisoner; King Edward III of England paid his ransom in 1360. In 1366, Chaucer married Philipa de Roet, who was a lady-in-waiting to Edward III’s wife. In 1367, Chaucer was given a life pension by the king, and began traveling abroad on diplomatic missions. During trips to Italy in 1372 and 1378, he discovered the works of Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch—each of which greatly influenced Chaucer’s own literary endeavors. Chaucer was named Controller of Customs on wools, skins, and hides for the port of London in 1374, and continued in this post for twelve years. Around that time, Chaucer’s period of Italian influence began, which includes transitional works such as Anelida and Arcite (c. 1379), Parlement of Foules (c. 1382), and Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1385). Chaucer established residence in Kent, where he was elected a justice of the peace and a member of Parliament in 1386. His wife died the following year. His period of artistic maturity is considered to begin at this time, marked by the writing of the General Prologue of theCanterbury Tales, which Chaucer continued to work on for many years—most likely until his death in 1400. Considered a cultural touchstone, if not the very wellspring of literature in the English language, Chaucer’s tales gather twenty-nine archetypes of late-medieval English society and present them with insight and humor. "Poet Geoffrey Chaucer." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, 2010. Web. 22 Feb. 2016. |
Module OneBelow is a presentation on the background of The Canterbury Tales.
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Module TwoIf you lived during Chaucer's time, who would you be? What profession would fit your personality? Using the following quick and easy link, you too can find your true Medieval calling.
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Module ThreeEveryone must answer the "Identification" and "The Prologue" section questions. After completing these sections only answer the questions for the pilgrim you are assigned.
Assigned Pilgrims:
Hannah-Knight/Squire Marilyn-Yeoman/Nun Abi-Monk/Friar Michael-Merchant/Cleric Noah-S. at Law/Franklin Kasey-Tradesmen/Cook Faith-Skipper/Doctor Colby-Wife o'Bath/Parson Will-Plowman/Miller Cody-Manciple/Reeve Andrew-Summoner/Pardoner Ms. Sorel-Host |
Module Four: Presentation Requirements for Assigned Tale
Choose a presentation format you are comfortable with such as prezi, powerpoint, padlet, etc. Make sure it is something you can save and everyone in your group has access to it.
Your presentation must have the following: 1. Introductory slide or frame. 2. Presentation of your tale-must include a summary of the tale, visuals, and what readers should take away from the tale (is there a lesson?). 3. Discuss the themes of the tale. 4. Highlight any specific literary devices used in your tale. 5. Analyze your tale from with the feminist literary criticism theory or the psychoanalytical literary criticism theory. (See information using the link below.) 6. Works Cited slide or frame if using outside research sources. |
Tale Assignments:
"The Knight's Tale": Hannah, Kasey, and Faith "The Wife of Bath's Tale": Colby and Will "The Pardoner's Tale": Abi and Michael "The Nun's Priest's Tale": Marilyn and Cody "The Summoner's Tale": Noah and Andrew |
Module Five: The Use of Prosopopoeia in "The Dream of the Rood"
Read the information below and then copy and complete the response sheet. Share through Google before the end of class.
What is prosopopoeia?
Prosopopoeia refers to a figure of speech that originated in ancient times. Throughprosopopoeia, a character in a literary piece is represented by an object. The object may represent an absent person. It might also represent a deceased person, as in "The Dream of the Rood." In these Old English poems, prosopopoeia is more than a type of personification. It is a realistic, first-person voice that strongly identifies with the person represented. Thus, in "The Dream of the Rood," a deceased person can, through an inanimate object, be portrayed as alive and present.
What is a rood?
Rood is an Old English word for cross. In modern usage, the term refers more specifically to a crucifix, a representation of the cross of Christ. The crucifix was the centerpiece of the altar in the medieval church. In the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Dream of the Rood," the actual, wooden cross on which Christ was crucified is transformed into a highly adorned crucifix.
How does "The Dream of the Rood" reflect Anglo-Saxon culture?
The Anglo-Saxons were barbaric Germanic tribes that invaded England in the 5th century. Originally, they worshiped a variety of nature gods. But by the 7th century, under the influences of the Roman church in the south and Irish Christianity in the north, the Anglo-Saxons were converted. In "The Dream of the Rood," the central speaker is the cross on which Jesus was crucified. This Christian focus of the poem reflects the influence of the Roman church on Anglo-Saxon culture.
"The Dream of the Rood" also reflects the heroic code of the Anglo-Saxon Germanic past. The tree on which Christ was crucified speaks as a heroic warrior. It describes the reverence of other followers of Christ as if they were the loyal clansman of a fallen lord.
The author of "The Dream of the Rood" is unknown. In Anglo-Saxon times, most people could not read or write. Stories and poems were passed down orally. But Christian monks recorded these pre-Christian stories and poems in handwritten manuscripts. These scribes added religious references and themes. In doing so, the monks brought out the parallels between Christian values and the Anglo-Saxon heroic code—courage, steadfastness, self-sacrifice, loyalty, and moral duty. The poem, then, is a mix of Old English oral traditions and Christian beliefs.
Use the sites below to complete your Google document:
Site 1: Glossary of Poetic Terms
Site 2: Glossary of Poetic Terms
Site 3: The Dream of the Rood
What is prosopopoeia?
Prosopopoeia refers to a figure of speech that originated in ancient times. Throughprosopopoeia, a character in a literary piece is represented by an object. The object may represent an absent person. It might also represent a deceased person, as in "The Dream of the Rood." In these Old English poems, prosopopoeia is more than a type of personification. It is a realistic, first-person voice that strongly identifies with the person represented. Thus, in "The Dream of the Rood," a deceased person can, through an inanimate object, be portrayed as alive and present.
What is a rood?
Rood is an Old English word for cross. In modern usage, the term refers more specifically to a crucifix, a representation of the cross of Christ. The crucifix was the centerpiece of the altar in the medieval church. In the Anglo-Saxon poem "The Dream of the Rood," the actual, wooden cross on which Christ was crucified is transformed into a highly adorned crucifix.
How does "The Dream of the Rood" reflect Anglo-Saxon culture?
The Anglo-Saxons were barbaric Germanic tribes that invaded England in the 5th century. Originally, they worshiped a variety of nature gods. But by the 7th century, under the influences of the Roman church in the south and Irish Christianity in the north, the Anglo-Saxons were converted. In "The Dream of the Rood," the central speaker is the cross on which Jesus was crucified. This Christian focus of the poem reflects the influence of the Roman church on Anglo-Saxon culture.
"The Dream of the Rood" also reflects the heroic code of the Anglo-Saxon Germanic past. The tree on which Christ was crucified speaks as a heroic warrior. It describes the reverence of other followers of Christ as if they were the loyal clansman of a fallen lord.
The author of "The Dream of the Rood" is unknown. In Anglo-Saxon times, most people could not read or write. Stories and poems were passed down orally. But Christian monks recorded these pre-Christian stories and poems in handwritten manuscripts. These scribes added religious references and themes. In doing so, the monks brought out the parallels between Christian values and the Anglo-Saxon heroic code—courage, steadfastness, self-sacrifice, loyalty, and moral duty. The poem, then, is a mix of Old English oral traditions and Christian beliefs.
Use the sites below to complete your Google document:
Site 1: Glossary of Poetic Terms
- Scroll down the page to Prosopopoeia. Write down the definition. Use the pronunciation guide to pronounce this poetic term.
- Review the definitions of related terms: figures of speech, apostrophe, and personification.
Site 2: Glossary of Poetic Terms
- Scroll down to prosopopoeia. Compare this definition to the others you have encountered.
Site 3: The Dream of the Rood
- Use the Respond sheet as you read the poem to identify the information you need to answer the Focus Question.
Module Six: "The Miller's Tale"
“The millere was a stout churl for the nones; Ful byg he was of brawn, and eek of bones. That proved wel, for over al ther he cam, At wrastlynge he wolde have alwey the ram. He was short-sholdred, brood, a thikke knarre;” (Norton, 545-549).
Fabliaux Genre
Characteristic of the fabliaux genre is its dangerousness and irreverence, often twinned in Chaucer with an almost-blasphemy:
"The cuckoldings, beatings, and elaborate practical jokes that are the main concern of the fabliaux are distributed in accord with a code of "fabliau justice," which does not always coincide with conventional morality: greed, hypocrisy, and pride are invariably punished, but so too are old age, mere slow-wittedness, and, most frequently, the presumption of a husband, especially an old one, who attempts to guard his wife's chastity… The fabliau, in short, is delightfully subversive - a light-hearted thumbing of the nose at the dictates of religion, the solid virtues of the citizenry, and the idealistic pretensions of the aristocracy and its courtly literature, which the fabliaux frequently parody, though just as frequently they parody lower-class attempts to adopt courtly behavior."
(The Riverside Chaucer, p. 8.)
Characteristic of the fabliaux genre is its dangerousness and irreverence, often twinned in Chaucer with an almost-blasphemy:
"The cuckoldings, beatings, and elaborate practical jokes that are the main concern of the fabliaux are distributed in accord with a code of "fabliau justice," which does not always coincide with conventional morality: greed, hypocrisy, and pride are invariably punished, but so too are old age, mere slow-wittedness, and, most frequently, the presumption of a husband, especially an old one, who attempts to guard his wife's chastity… The fabliau, in short, is delightfully subversive - a light-hearted thumbing of the nose at the dictates of religion, the solid virtues of the citizenry, and the idealistic pretensions of the aristocracy and its courtly literature, which the fabliaux frequently parody, though just as frequently they parody lower-class attempts to adopt courtly behavior."
(The Riverside Chaucer, p. 8.)
Module Seven: Literary Theory and Criticism
This assignment requires you to create a power point that examines the assigned Canterbury Tale using a particular literary theory. Each person in the tale groups will be assigned a specific theory and must create their own presentation. Requirements for the presentation are below.
Requirements:
1. Definition of theory
2. Background Information on theory (Including those people responsible for contributing to theory, dates theory came into use, what theory hopes to achieve, etc.)
3. Pros of theory use
4. Cons of theory use
5. Application of theory-Using your theory develop three focal points one would use when examining your assigned tale. (In other words, what would the theorist spend most of their time dwelling on if they were reading any text.)
6. Questions-Create five questions a theorist from your lens might pose while reading your assigned tale.
7. Works Cited (Use www.easybib.com if it is too difficult for you to comprehend)
Use of appropriate visuals or audio will only enhance the presentation not just random stuff-seriously not kidding about this. I will mark down on total points for grade.
This assignment requires you to create a power point that examines the assigned Canterbury Tale using a particular literary theory. Each person in the tale groups will be assigned a specific theory and must create their own presentation. Requirements for the presentation are below.
Requirements:
1. Definition of theory
2. Background Information on theory (Including those people responsible for contributing to theory, dates theory came into use, what theory hopes to achieve, etc.)
3. Pros of theory use
4. Cons of theory use
5. Application of theory-Using your theory develop three focal points one would use when examining your assigned tale. (In other words, what would the theorist spend most of their time dwelling on if they were reading any text.)
6. Questions-Create five questions a theorist from your lens might pose while reading your assigned tale.
7. Works Cited (Use www.easybib.com if it is too difficult for you to comprehend)
Use of appropriate visuals or audio will only enhance the presentation not just random stuff-seriously not kidding about this. I will mark down on total points for grade.
Module 7: Essay
Choose one of the three essays for your final test on The Canterbury Tales:
1. What societal issue is Chaucer acknowledging in his work? Does Chaucer offer any kind of solution to the corruption or societal issues he brings to light? Be sure to introduce claims citing relevant evidence as support.
2. Which social group within the work is Chaucer most critical? Provide sufficient textual support to prove your argument.
3. Choose a tale from Chaucer's work and discuss the theme or themes prevalent. Provide sufficient textual support to prove your argument.
1. What societal issue is Chaucer acknowledging in his work? Does Chaucer offer any kind of solution to the corruption or societal issues he brings to light? Be sure to introduce claims citing relevant evidence as support.
2. Which social group within the work is Chaucer most critical? Provide sufficient textual support to prove your argument.
3. Choose a tale from Chaucer's work and discuss the theme or themes prevalent. Provide sufficient textual support to prove your argument.
from Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
In small groups, students will read the following selection and answer all questions on the selection. Students should be prepared to discuss their group response with the class.