The Canterbury Tales

- Written in verse
- Imaginary group of pilgrims
- Visit shrine of Thomas Beckett
- Original plan : 30 pilgrims and 4 tales each
- Cross-section of social hierarchy
The Wife of Bath’s prologue
- Prologue is twice the length of tale
- The wife has 5 husbands
- Tries to dominate the church
- Views on anti-feminism, church hypocrisy and cultural misogyny
- Genre: confessio
- Wife admits her sins and revels in them
- Could be a genre of debate or sermon
Genre
- Folktale and romance
- Romance - adventures and values of aristocracy
- Hero is usually a knight - goes on adventures and fighting
- Arthurian legends have knights who tries to win a lady
- They exhibit courtly manner
- Traits: love, magical transformations, happy ever after etc.
- The wife subverts the knight’s character - he is the one in need of rescuing
- The queen talking shows female authority
- Sermons obtrude makes us doubt of convention of chivalry
- Fairy tale transformation at the end on woman’s terms
- An educative process for the knight but not valorous
Geoffrey chaucer
- Grandfather worked for merchant, when he dies he inherited some land
- John Chaucer was prosperous in wine - supplied to king’s cellar
- Chaucer’s social status improved by marriage
- Connected him to the rich and power
- Fought in france in army
- He was valued by kings and sent on diplomatic missions
- Chaucer went on a pilgrimage
- Chaucher and grove had to pay to Celia in order to avoid her raptus
Medieval Society
- Chaucer wrote in middle ages
- Hierarchy: clergy, nobility, laboured
- People expected to remain rank
- Chaucer and wife - social climbers
- Men had higher status
- Pilgrims introduced through ranks - starting with wife
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