The Canterbury Tales  

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-{{Template}}'''''The Canterbury Tales''''' is a collection of [[short stories]] written by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] in the [[14th century]] (two of them in [[prose]], the rest in [[Meter (poetry)|verse]]). The [[tale]]s, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a [[frame tale]] and told by a collection of [[pilgrim]]s on a pilgrimage to [[Canterbury]] to visit the shrine of [[Thomas Becket]]. ''The Canterbury Tales'' are written in the [[vernacular literature|vernacular]]. Although the tales are considered to be his [[magnum opus]], some believe the structure of the tales are indebted to the works of [[The Decameron]] which [[Chaucer]] is said to have read when he visited [[Italy]] in the [[14th century]].+{{Template}}'''''The Canterbury Tales''''' is a collection of [[short stories]] written by [[Geoffrey Chaucer]] first published in the [[1390s]] (two of them in [[prose]], the rest in [[Meter (poetry)|verse]]). The [[tale]]s, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a [[frame tale]] and told by a collection of [[pilgrim]]s on a pilgrimage to [[Canterbury]] to visit the shrine of [[Thomas Becket]]. ''The Canterbury Tales'' are written in the [[vernacular literature|vernacular]]. Although the tales are considered to be his [[magnum opus]], some believe the structure of the tales are indebted to the works of [[The Decameron]] which [[Chaucer]] is said to have read when he visited [[Italy]] in the [[14th century]].
==Significance== ==Significance==
It is sometimes argued that the greatest contribution that this work made to [[English literature]] was in popularising the literary use of the [[vernacular]] language, [[English language|English]] (rather than [[French language|French]] or [[Latin]]). However, English had been used as a literary language for centuries before Chaucer's life, and several of Chaucer's contemporaries—[[John Gower]], [[William Langland]], and [[the Pearl Poet]]—also wrote major literary works in English, making it unclear how much Chaucer was responsible for starting a trend rather than simply being part of it. It is interesting to note that, although Chaucer had a powerful influence in poetic and artistic terms, which can be seen in the great number of forgeries and mistaken attributions (such as [[The Flower and the Leaf]] which was translated by [[John Dryden]], modern English spelling and orthography owes much more to the innovations made by the [[Court of Chancery]] in the decades during and after his lifetime. It is sometimes argued that the greatest contribution that this work made to [[English literature]] was in popularising the literary use of the [[vernacular]] language, [[English language|English]] (rather than [[French language|French]] or [[Latin]]). However, English had been used as a literary language for centuries before Chaucer's life, and several of Chaucer's contemporaries—[[John Gower]], [[William Langland]], and [[the Pearl Poet]]—also wrote major literary works in English, making it unclear how much Chaucer was responsible for starting a trend rather than simply being part of it. It is interesting to note that, although Chaucer had a powerful influence in poetic and artistic terms, which can be seen in the great number of forgeries and mistaken attributions (such as [[The Flower and the Leaf]] which was translated by [[John Dryden]], modern English spelling and orthography owes much more to the innovations made by the [[Court of Chancery]] in the decades during and after his lifetime.

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The Canterbury Tales is a collection of short stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer first published in the 1390s (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). The tales, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a frame tale and told by a collection of pilgrims on a pilgrimage to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. The Canterbury Tales are written in the vernacular. Although the tales are considered to be his magnum opus, some believe the structure of the tales are indebted to the works of The Decameron which Chaucer is said to have read when he visited Italy in the 14th century.

Significance

It is sometimes argued that the greatest contribution that this work made to English literature was in popularising the literary use of the vernacular language, English (rather than French or Latin). However, English had been used as a literary language for centuries before Chaucer's life, and several of Chaucer's contemporaries—John Gower, William Langland, and the Pearl Poet—also wrote major literary works in English, making it unclear how much Chaucer was responsible for starting a trend rather than simply being part of it. It is interesting to note that, although Chaucer had a powerful influence in poetic and artistic terms, which can be seen in the great number of forgeries and mistaken attributions (such as The Flower and the Leaf which was translated by John Dryden, modern English spelling and orthography owes much more to the innovations made by the Court of Chancery in the decades during and after his lifetime.

In 2004, Professor Linne Mooney was able to identify the scrivener who worked for Chaucer as an Adam Pinkhurst. Mooney, then a professor at the University of Maine and a visiting fellow at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, was able to match Pinkhurst's signature, on an oath he signed, to his lettering on a copy of The Canterbury Tales that was transcribed from Chaucer's working copy.

The Canterbury Tales can also tell modern readers much about "the occult" during Chaucer's time, especially in regards to astrology and the astrological lore prevalent during Chaucer's era. There are hundreds if not thousands of astrological allusions found in this work; some are quite overt while others are more covert in nature.

While some readers look to interpret the characters of "The Canterbury Tales" as historical figures, other readers choose to interpret its significance in less literal terms. After analysis of his diction and historical context, his work appears to develop a critique against society during his lifetime. Within a number of his descriptions, his comments can appear complimentary in nature, but through clever language, the statements are ultimately critical of the pilgrim’s actions. It is unclear whether Chaucer would intend for the reader to link his characters with literal persons. Instead, it appears as though Chaucer creates fictional characters that are general representations of people in such fields of work. With an understanding of medieval society, one can observe subtle literary critiques against members of the community who conduct themselves in ways similar to Chaucer's pilgrims.





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