Class Assignment
Question -A
Write an Introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer :
Chaucer’s most famous work is The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Through humor, satire, and realistic description, he captured the lives, manners, and speech of people from different classes of society. His writing not only enriched English literature but also shaped the growth of the English language itself, making him one of the greatest literary figures of the medieval period.
Chaucer's literary career divided into three periods
1. French Period
2. Italian Period
3. English Period
French Period
The French Period refers to the early phase of Geoffrey Chaucer’s literary career, roughly between the 1360s and 1370s, when he was strongly influenced by French literature. During this period, Chaucer traveled to France as part of diplomatic missions, and possibly also through his military service in the Hundred Years’ War, which gave him exposure to French culture, language, and literature. France at the time was a major center of literary activity, and Chaucer came into contact with the works of French poets such as Jean de Meun, Guillaume de Lorris, and Eustache Deschamps, who shaped his understanding of allegory, courtly love, and poetic narrative techniques.
Chaucer’s works of this period show clear French influence in style, meter, and themes. His early poem The Book of the Duchess (1368–1372) reflects allegorical storytelling and French poetic forms, written in memory of Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster. Similarly, The House of Fame and The Parlement of Foules demonstrate French-inspired courtly love themes, satire, and dream-vision narratives. The French Period was also a time when Chaucer experimented with rhyme royal (seven-line stanzas) and narrative structures that he would later perfect in English.
This period was crucial for Chaucer’s development as a writer because it allowed him to blend French literary techniques with English storytelling, paving the way for the creation of The Canterbury Tales. The French Period not only shaped his early style but also exposed him to broader European literary trends, helping him become the first major English poet to write sophisticated literature in his native language.
Italian Period
The Italian Period of Geoffrey Chaucer refers to the later phase of his literary career, during which he was heavily influenced by Italian literature, particularly the works of Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. This period likely began in the 1370s–1380s, after Chaucer had already been exposed to French literary traditions. His travels to Italy, possibly as part of diplomatic missions, gave him the opportunity to study Italian poetry and prose, which introduced him to new narrative techniques, themes, and poetic forms.
During this period, Chaucer drew inspiration from Boccaccio’s narrative style, especially in creating complex stories with multiple characters and interwoven plots. Works like The House of Fame and later The Canterbury Tales show the influence of Boccaccio’s Decameron in their use of framed storytelling, where multiple tales are told by different narrators within a larger narrative. Chaucer also absorbed Petrarchan ideas of love and human emotion, which added depth and realism to his depiction of characters and relationships. Dante’s allegorical and philosophical approach influenced Chaucer’s treatment of moral and spiritual themes.
The Italian Period is significant because it marks Chaucer’s maturation as a poet and storyteller, allowing him to combine French literary techniques with Italian narrative sophistication. He experimented with new poetic forms, including terza rima and ottava rima, and developed a keen sense of character, humor, and social observation. This period laid the groundwork for The Canterbury Tales, which is considered his masterpiece, demonstrating how Chaucer synthesized French and Italian influences into a uniquely English literary voice.
English Period
The English Period of Geoffrey Chaucer refers to the final phase of his literary career, during which he fully developed his unique style in Middle English, blending influences from both French and Italian literature. This period roughly spans the 1380s to 1400, the last two decades of his life, and represents Chaucer’s mastery of English as a literary language at a time when Latin and French were dominant in literature and official writing.
During the English Period, Chaucer produced his most mature and influential works. The most notable of these is The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. In this work, Chaucer demonstrated his skill in using vernacular English to depict a wide range of characters from different social classes, occupations, and personalities. He combined narrative techniques learned from French allegory and Italian storytelling, such as framed narratives, character sketches, and multiple perspectives, while adding his own humor, realism, and insight into human behavior. Other works from this period include Troilus and Criseyde, which shows the influence of Italian poets like Boccaccio and Petrarch, but written in Chaucer’s polished English verse.
The English Period is significant because it established Chaucer as the Father of English Literature. By writing in English, he made literature accessible to a wider audience and helped develop Middle English into a respected literary language. His works from this period reflect a perfect blend of international influences and English originality, highlighting his talent for character portrayal, satire, moral commentary, and poetic innovation. Chaucer’s English Period set the stage for the future of English literature and influenced generations of writers who followed.
English Period marked by Chaucer's outstanding work .The Canterbury Tales.
Home Assignment
Question -B
Write a detail note on Canterbury Tales.
The Canterbury Tales is the most famous work of Geoffrey Chaucer, written in Middle English during the late 14th century. It is a frame narrative that presents a group of pilgrims traveling from London to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. To pass the time during their journey, each pilgrim tells a story. Through this structure, Chaucer not only entertains readers but also provides a rich and vivid depiction of medieval English society, representing people from various social classes, occupations, and personalities. The work was left unfinished and contains 24 complete tales out of the planned 120.
The pilgrims in the work are drawn from all walks of life, including the Knight, the Prioress, the Miller, the Merchant, the Clerk, the Wife of Bath, and the Pardoner, among others. Each character is carefully portrayed through their appearance, speech, and storytelling style, reflecting their social status, personal values, and moral qualities. The Knight represents honor and chivalry, the Miller embodies bawdy humor and crudeness, while the Pardoner is greedy and corrupt, revealing the hypocrisy of the Church. Chaucer’s skill in characterization allows readers to understand not just the stories but also the storytellers themselves.
The tales cover a variety of themes such as love, marriage, honor, greed, morality, and human folly. Chaucer employs multiple genres, including romance, fabliau, allegory, and moral tale. For example, the Knight’s Tale celebrates chivalric ideals and noble love, the Miller’s Tale presents comic and vulgar humor, and the Pardoner’s Tale critiques greed and corruption. By using diverse themes and genres, Chaucer combines entertainment with social commentary, showing both the virtues and vices of human nature.
Chaucer’s use of Middle English was revolutionary, as Latin and French were the dominant literary languages of the time. His language was accessible to ordinary people while sophisticated enough for educated readers. Chaucer blends satire, humor, realism, and moral insight, making his characters lively and relatable. His narrative techniques, including framed storytelling and multiple perspectives, allow him to explore human behavior and social norms in a nuanced way.
The Canterbury Tales is significant for its literary, historical, and cultural value. It established English as a respected literary language, offered a realistic portrayal of 14th-century society, and explored universal themes that remain relevant today. Chaucer’s vivid characters, engaging narratives, and social insight make The Canterbury Tales a timeless masterpiece and a cornerstone of English literature
Characters of Canterbury Tales
Chaucer -
Observer and Commentator: Chaucer’s character observes the other pilgrims closely and describes them in detail, often highlighting their habits, professions, morals, and social status.
Honest and Humble: He presents himself as modest and sometimes naïve, admitting his lack of experience or sophistication, which makes his observations seem honest.
Interacting with Pilgrims: He interacts with the pilgrims, asking questions and sometimes participating in their stories or conversations.
Literary Device: As a character, Chaucer gives readers a first-hand view of medieval society, its classes, and its contradictions. His presence allows a mix of humor, irony, and moral insight.
Neutral yet Witty: Chaucer usually maintains a neutral tone but uses subtle humor, satire, and irony to comment on the behavior of pilgrims.
Harry Bailey-
Harry Bailly is the innkeeper of the Tabard Inn, where all the pilgrims gather before starting their journey to Canterbury. Chaucer presents him as a lively, practical, and sociable figure. His character traits include:
Friendly and Hospitable: He warmly welcomes all the pilgrims at the Tabard Inn and ensures everyone is comfortable before the journey.
Wise and Shrewd: He understands human nature well and often gives advice or comments that show his intelligence and practicality.
Good Sense of Humor: Harry Bailly enjoys conversation and storytelling; he often adds humor to lighten situations.
Organizer of the Tales: He proposes the storytelling contest on the pilgrimage, suggesting that each pilgrim tells two tales on the way to Canterbury and two on the return. He promises a prize for the best tale, showing his role as a guide and motivator.
Mediator and Peacemaker: He sometimes mediates disputes among pilgrims, ensuring harmony and order during the journey.
Knight -
The Knight rides at the front of the procession described in the General Prologue, and his story is the first in the sequence. The Host clearly admires the Knight, as does the narrator. The narrator seems to remember four main qualities of the Knight. The first is the Knight’s love of ideals—“chivalrie” (prowess), “trouthe” (fidelity), “honour” (reputation), “fredom” (generosity), and “curteisie” (refinement).
The second is the Knight’s impressive military career. The Knight has fought in the Crusades, wars in which Europeans traveled by sea to non-Christian lands and attempted to convert whole cultures by the force of their swords. By Chaucer’s time, the spirit for conducting these wars was dying out, and they were no longer undertaken as frequently. The Knight has battled the Muslims in Egypt, Spain, and Turkey, and the Russian Orthodox in Lithuania and Russia. He has also fought in formal duels.
The third quality the narrator remembers about the Knight is his meek, gentle, manner. And the fourth is his “array,” or dress. The Knight wears a tunic made of coarse cloth, and his coat of mail is rust-stained, because he has recently returned from an expedition.
Miller-
Chaucer defines the Miller primarily through his physical strength and size, which mirrors the way he muscles his way into conversations and drunkenly intimidates the other pilgrims. Chaucer notes that the Miller’s strength is enough that he can tear a door off its hinges but never says why he wreaks such destruction, implying that the Miller is prone to senseless aggression. The Miller is also a cheat, taking more money for the grain he grinds than is fair. More brawn than brain, the Miller is unable to control his temper or interact politely with people. His personality is reflected both in the manner in which he tells his tale and in the tale itself.
Drunk early in the morning, the Miller insists on telling his story out of turn, then tells a story about people as deceptive and violent as himself. In “The Miller’s Tale,” Alisoun tricks her husband, John, into sleeping on the roof so that she can cheat on him with her lover Nicholas. She tricks Absolon into kissing her rear, and Absolon jabs a hot, sharp poker into Nicholas’s bottom. While the Miller makes his story funny and even elegant, the narrative underscores his aggressive, deceitful nature, and ultimately reveals Chaucer’s beliefs about the rowdy, bawdy nature of people in the Miller’s social class.
Reeve -
Chaucer defines the Miller primarily through his physical strength and size, which mirrors the way he muscles his way into conversations and drunkenly intimidates the other pilgrims. Chaucer notes that the Miller’s strength is enough that he can tear a door off its hinges but never says why he wreaks such destruction, implying that the Miller is prone to senseless aggression. The Miller is also a cheat, taking more money for the grain he grinds than is fair. More brawn than brain, the Miller is unable to control his temper or interact politely with people. His personality is reflected both in the manner in which he tells his tale and in the tale itself.
Drunk early in the morning, the Miller insists on telling his story out of turn, then tells a story about people as deceptive and violent as himself. In “The Miller’s Tale,” Alisoun tricks her husband, John, into sleeping on the roof so that she can cheat on him with her lover Nicholas. She tricks Absolon into kissing her rear, and Absolon jabs a hot, sharp poker into Nicholas’s bottom. While the Miller makes his story funny and even elegant, the narrative underscores his aggressive, deceitful nature, and ultimately reveals Chaucer’s beliefs about the rowdy, bawdy nature of people in the Miller’s social class.
Essay
Question -C
Themes of Canterbury Tales
Love, Sex, and Fellowship:
Throughout the frame story, character prologues,and tales, Chaucer explore human relationships. The tales discuss brotherly love and the betrayal of it,as well as the partnership among thieves and rogues. The camaraderie and fellowship of the pilgrim company set the tone of the frame story. Most pilgrims complete their tales by directly addressing the listening company;in more than one case,a story creates friction between pilgrims.Male- Female relationship feature prominently in The Canterbury Tales.Chaucer lived in a time when men held all political and religious power but women retained some financial power. For example,a woman could inherit her husband's wealth after he died a custom that evidently benefited the wife of Bath several times over. Women had power of sex,as so many of the tales vividly illustrate.Sex within marriage,as well as outside of it,is a topic of several stories,with examples of both faithful and unfaithful wives and an ample dose of sexual trickery and bed hopping.Women also appear to have power in the realm of courtly love,as illustrated by the Knight's tale.
Social Class :
The diverse social classes of the pilgrims are in important part of prologue. As Chaucer describes the pilgrims he give their occupations and many are never know beyond these designation. At the time Chucher wrote the tales, society was moving from the estate system to a system that included a growing middle class. There are pilgrims from every class in the company bahut traditional and emerging. The stereotypes about these classes and the conflicts between them emerge in the frame story and in the individual tales. Morality is still connected with the first estate: the only member of the nobility the Knight, is treated as an honest and upright person, as is the poorest member of the clergy , the Parson. Yet not all members of the first estate meet this high moral standards, as the Friar and the Pardoner illustrates.
Story and Storyteller:
The connection between story and story Taylor is a crucial part what makes The Canterbury Tales unique. The layer upon layer of story telling involved is staggering
and often hilarious. Geoffrey Chaucer is the author yet Chucher the pilgrim is the narrator, and while Geoffrey Chaucer's tales are excellent example of narrative and poetry Chucher the pilgrim's poetry fails to satisfy, and his narrative is long and tedious. Most of the storytellers tell tales that match their personality or social status in some way. For example the second nun tells a story about virgin martyr; the Knight tells romantic tale of love and battle, and the wife of Bath who has been married five times, tells a story about what women went. The connection between storytellers and the audience are also important in the tales, as the occasional angry eruption or approving responses indicate. These responses between pilgrims stand in for the real audience that chaucer lacked but may have imagined
Rivalry
The the theme of rivalry is introduced by the story telling competition but this game is just one example of many rivalries in The Canterbury Tales.There are rivals in love fighting for the same women story tell us who try to get back at or out do one another in insults and rivals in trickery who try to out smart one another with their tricks. The rivalry between young and old men that is feature of several tales comes to no good, and the rivalry between some members of the company such as the Miller and the Reeve threatens to jolly mode of the pilgrims.
Reference -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer
https://www.litcharts.com/lit/the-canterbury-tales/themes
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/the-canterbury-tales/