Introduction to Canterbury Tales
Chaucer’s World:
14th Century England
Basic assumptions of the medieval world:
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Existence of a Christian afterlife
2 paths: religious life or secular life
Things of the world inferior to things of God
Medieval passion for order/fear of disorder
• Recurrent image: Fortuna & the wheel
– Immutable order: one’s estat is an absolute, both sinful
& futile to rebel against
• Signaled by clothing (array), manner (curteisye)
Chaucer’s Middle English
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Anglo-Saxon Old English enriched by French, Latin
Important, serious writing = French & Latin
Light, often comic writing = English
Chaucer’s high diction used for abstraction, while
low, colloquial diction used for comic relief; formal
diction (particularly when given in or mixed with
Latin or French) can sometimes be used to satirize
intellectual snobbery
Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales
29 pilgrims meet at the Tabard Inn to travel on
pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral for repentance,
divine goodwill, etc. Canterbury Cathedral is the
shrine of St. Thomas Becket (1118-1170), martyred
by Henry II’s henchmen while at prayer in the
cathedral. If life is a journey, pilgrimage gives
pilgrims a taste of their ultimate goal.
Cross-section of society:
“Those who work”
(in order of hierarchy)
• Landed gentry: Franklin
• Professionals: Sergeant of the Law, Doctor of Physics
• Tradespeople: Merchant, Wife of Bath, Five Guildsmen,
Harry Bailly (tavern keeper), Miller
• Secular employees: Manciple, Reeve
• Laborers: Shipman, Yeoman, Cook
• Peasants: Plowman
Cross-section of society:
“Those who fight”
Knight
Squire
Cross-section of society:
“Those who pray”
• Religious orders: Monk, Prioress, Friar,
Nun’s Priest, Second Nun
• Parish clergy: Parson
• Student: Clerk at Oxford
• Church employees: Pardoner, Summoner
The Medieval Church
• Medieval Catholic church largely corrupt:
– Men in high positions siphoned off money or created new
positions for friends and allies
– Little fear of damnation—people could simply purchase
absolution from corrupt priests
– Some clergy even ran a relic trade on the side, further taking
advantage of a largely uneducated parish
– Despite vows of chastity and poverty, many monasteries and
priories were known for their decadence and wantonness