Flattery
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
(Difference between revisions)
| Revision as of 15:43, 13 June 2009 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 15:48, 13 June 2009 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) Next diff → |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | :''[[Medieval literature]], [[dream vision]], [[flattery]]'' | ||
| - | '''The Nun's Priest's Tale''' is one of ''[[The Canterbury Tales]]'' by the 14th century [[Middle English]] poet [[Geoffrey Chaucer]]. The 625-line tale of '''Chanticleer and the Fox''' is a [[beast fable]] and a [[mock epic]], which may have existed before Chaucer, but was at the very least popularized by him. | ||
| - | The tale follows the [[The Monk's Tale|monk]]'s depressing accounts of [[despot]]s and fallen heroes and, as well as sharing these themes, the tale also parodies them. It also has ideas in common with earlier tales with the marriage between [[Chanticleer]] and Pertelote echoing the domestic lives depicted in tales like [[The Franklin's Tale|Franklin]]'s and [[The Tale of Melibee]]. These different themes help to unify several tales. The "Nun's Priest's Tale" offers a lively story from a previously almost invisible character. | + | '''Flattery''' (also called '''adulation''' or '''blandishment''') is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject. |
| - | Like many of the tales, the date Chanticleer was written cannot be fixed with any accuracy, although 1392 is a frequently considered date. Chaucer based his adaptation on ''[[Del cok e del gupil]]'', the work of the 12th century French poet [[Marie de France]], and the 13th century French epic ''[[Le Roman de Renart]]''. There are also echoes of several of [[Aesop's fables]]. This blend of [[fable]] and [[beast epic]] gives the tale much of its liveliness, but the extent to which Chaucer meant it to be an [[allegory]] or even to satirise allegorical animal stories is uncertain. | + | Historically, flattery has been used as a standard form of discourse when addressing a [[monarch|king]] or [[queen regnant|queen]]. In the [[Renaissance]], it was a common practice among writers to '''flatter''' the reigning monarch, as [[Edmund Spenser]] flattered [[Queen Elizabeth I]] in ''[[The Faerie Queene]]'' and [[William Shakespeare]] flattered [[James I of England|King James I]] in ''[[Macbeth]]''. |
| - | == Plot == | + | |
| - | The fable concerns a world of talking animals who reflect both human insight and error. Its protagonist is Chanticleer, a proud rooster who dreams of his approaching doom in the form of a fox. Frightened, he awakens Mademoiselle Pertilote, the only hen among his seven wives with whom he is infatuated. She assures him that he only suffers from indigestion and chides him for paying heed to a simple dream. Chanticleer recounts stories of prophets who foresaw their deaths, dreams that came true, and dreams that were more profound (e.g. the [[Dream of Scipio|"Dream of Scipio"]]). Chanticleer is comforted by Pertilote and proceeds to greet a new day. | + | |
| - | Unfortunately for Chanticleer, he predicted his doom correctly. A sly fox, Sir Russell who has tricked Chanticleer's father and mother to their downfalls, now awaits Chanticleer. Sir Russell plays to Chanticleer’s inflated ego, insisting that he would love to hear the rooster crow as his amazing father did, with his neck outstretched, his eyes closed, and standing on his tiptoes. When Chanticleer sticks his neck out and closes his eyes, he is promptly snatched from the yard in the fox’s jaws. As the fox flees through the forest, Chanticleer (all the while dangling from the fox’s mouth) suggests that the fox should pause to tell his pursuers to give up their chase. | + | Flattery is also used in [[pick-up line]]s used to attempt to initiate romantic courtship. |
| - | Now the fox's haughtiness is his undoing: as the fox opens his mouth to taunt his pursuers, the rooster falls out and proceeds to fly up the nearest tree. The fox tries in vain to convince the wary Chanticleer, who now prefers the safety of the tree and fails to fall for the same trick a second time. | + | Most associations with flattery, however, are negative. Flatterers are sometimes described by pejorative phrases, such as "suck-up", "ass-kisser", or "brown-noser". Negative descriptions of flattery range at least as far back in history as [[The Bible]]. In the [[Divine Comedy]], Dante depicts flatterers wading in human excrement, stating that their words were the equivalent of excrement, in the 8th Circle of Hell. |
| - | The Nun's Priest elaborates his slender tale with epic parallels drawn from ancient history and chivalry and spins it out with many an [[excursus]], showing his learning, then wraps up his story with a moral, admonishing his audience to be careful of reckless decisions and of "truste on flaterye," ending with an "Amen!" | + | An insincere flatterer is a [[stock character]] in many literary works. Examples include [[Gríma Wormtongue|Wormtongue]] from [[J. R. R. Tolkien]]'s ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Goneril]] and [[Regan]] from ''[[King Lear]]'', and [[Iago]] from ''[[Othello]]''. |
| - | ==Adaptations== | + | "To flatter" is also used to refer to artwork or clothing that makes the subject or wearer appear more attractive, as in: |
| - | *[[Robert Henryson]] used The Nun's Priest Tale as his source for his ''[[Taill of Schir Chanticleir and the Foxe]]'', the third poem in his long work ''[[The Morall Fabillis of Esope the Phrygian]]'' composed in or around the 1480s. | + | |
| - | *The Nun's Priest's Tale was put to music in 1951 by [[Gordon Jacob]]. | + | :* The King was pleased with the portrait, as it was very flattering of his girth. |
| - | *[[Michael Hurd]] again put it to music in 1976 as "Rooster Rag." | + | :* I think I'll wear the green dress because it flatters my legs. |
| - | *[[Walter Wangerin, Jr.]] used the characters of Chanticlere and Partlet in ''[[The Book of the Dun Cow (novel)|The Book of the Dun Cow]]'' (1978) . | + | |
| - | *''Chanticlere and the Fox - A Chaucerian Tale'' is a book produced by [[Disney]], based on the cartoon that was never completed. | + | ==See also== |
| - | *Chanticlere is the name of the protagonist rooster of the 1991 animated film, "[[Rock-a-Doodle]]" by [[Don Bluth]]. | + | * [[Appeal to flattery]] |
| + | * [[Shakespeare's sonnets#Dedication to Mr. W.H.]] | ||
| + | * [[The Faerie Queene]] | ||
| + | * [[Color analysis|Flattering colors]] | ||
| + | * [[Cape Flattery]], disambiguation page | ||
| + | * [[Blarney Stone]] | ||
| + | * [[Affection]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 15:48, 13 June 2009
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Flattery (also called adulation or blandishment) is the act of giving excessive compliments, generally for the purpose of ingratiating oneself with the subject.
Historically, flattery has been used as a standard form of discourse when addressing a king or queen. In the Renaissance, it was a common practice among writers to flatter the reigning monarch, as Edmund Spenser flattered Queen Elizabeth I in The Faerie Queene and William Shakespeare flattered King James I in Macbeth.
Flattery is also used in pick-up lines used to attempt to initiate romantic courtship.
Most associations with flattery, however, are negative. Flatterers are sometimes described by pejorative phrases, such as "suck-up", "ass-kisser", or "brown-noser". Negative descriptions of flattery range at least as far back in history as The Bible. In the Divine Comedy, Dante depicts flatterers wading in human excrement, stating that their words were the equivalent of excrement, in the 8th Circle of Hell.
An insincere flatterer is a stock character in many literary works. Examples include Wormtongue from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Goneril and Regan from King Lear, and Iago from Othello.
"To flatter" is also used to refer to artwork or clothing that makes the subject or wearer appear more attractive, as in:
- The King was pleased with the portrait, as it was very flattering of his girth.
- I think I'll wear the green dress because it flatters my legs.
See also
- Appeal to flattery
- Shakespeare's sonnets#Dedication to Mr. W.H.
- The Faerie Queene
- Flattering colors
- Cape Flattery, disambiguation page
- Blarney Stone
- Affection
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Flattery" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
