The Canterbury Tales Author: Geoffrey Chaucer (1342-1400) Translator: Nevill Coghill When in April the sweet showers fall And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all The veins are bathed in liquor of such power As brings about the engendering of the flower (Prologue, 1-4)
Introduction The Canterbury Tales is one of the best loved works in the history of English literature. Written in Middle English, the story follows a group of pilgrims who are travelling the long journey from London to Canterbury Cathedral. Setting off from a London inn, the innkeeper suggests that during the journey each pilgrim should tell two tales to help pass the time. The best storyteller, he says, will be rewarded with a free supper on his return. Chaucer introduces us to a vivid cast of characters, including a carpenter, a cook, a knight, a monk, a prioress, a haberdasher, a dyer, a clerk, a merchant and a very bawdy miller. These characters come from all corners of 14th century society, and give Chaucer the chance to speak in many different voices. Some of the characters' tales are humorous, rude and naughty, while others are moral and reflective. The pilgrims' stories are in various genres, including chivalric romance, Arthurian romance, satire, beast fable, fabliau, and exemplum (an exhortation on morals and religion.) The Canterbury Tales opens with a general prologue introducing the storytellers after they have gathered at the inn. In prologues between the tales, the travelers comment on a tale just completed or introduce a story about to be told. Sometimes they also make general observations. The Canterbury Tales has one overall narrator, Chaucer himself in the persona of the first pilgrim, who presents his account in first-person point of view. Chaucer then allows the pilgrims to narrate their tales. They tell them in third-person point of view. Between their stories, Chaucer resumes his narration, reporting the discourse of the pilgrims and the words of the inn keeper, Harry Bailly, when he introduces the next storyteller. Thus, The Canterbury Tales consists of stories within a story. Scholars label as frame tales literary works that present a story (or stories) within another story. The inner story is like a painting on a canvas; the outer story is like the frame of the painting. In The Canterbury Tales, the inner stories told by the pilgrims form the images on the canvas; the outer story told by Chaucer forms the frame. The frame tale was not unique to Chaucer. Among other literary works with this format were The Thousand and One Nights, a collection of tales (authors and dates of composition not established) from India, Persia, Arabia, and Egypt, including the famous stories about Aladdin, Ali Baba, and Sinbad the Sailor; Samuel Taylor Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (1902).
One of the reasons Chaucer is so important is that he made the decision to write in English and not French. In the centuries following the Norman invasion, French was the language spoken by those in power. The Canterbury Tales was one of the first major works in literature written in English. Chaucer began the tales in 1387 and continued until his death in 1400. No text in his own hand still exists, but a surprising number of copies survive from the 1500s - more than 80. This suggests the tales were enormously popular in medieval England. s Due August 8th, 2018 1. Read and Annotate How to Mark a Book by Mortimer Adler. This article will explain to you the how s and why s of annotation. 2. Read the Annotations Rubric. This is how your annotations will be graded throughout the year. 3. Read and Annotate The Prologue In all literature there is nothing that touches or resembles the Prologue. It is the concise portrait of an entire nation, high and low, old and young, male and female, lay and clerical, learned and ignorant, rogue and righteous, land and sea, town and country, but without extremes. Apart from the stunning clarity, touched with nuance, of the characters presented, the most noticeable thing about them is their normality. They are the perennial progeny of men and women. Sharply individual, together they make a 1 party. 4. Read and Annotate The Pardoner s Prologue and The Pardoner s Tale The Pardoner's Tale" is an example of an exemplum (plural, exempla), a short narrative in verse or prose that teaches a moral lesson or reinforces a doctrine or religious belief. 5. Read and Annotate The Wife of Bath s Prologue and The Wife of Bath s Tale "The Wife of Bath's Tale" is an example of an Arthurian romance, a type of work in which a knight in the age of the legendary King Arthur goes on a quest. Reading challenging literature such as we will encounter this year is hard work, but also very rewarding. There are different ways to read a book. In this class, we will read analytically which means annotating as we go. You will understand and enjoy these texts more deeply than if you simply skim them. Your annotations will also help you quickly locate important scenes in the book as you are completing each writing assignment. A reading/annotating rate of 15 pages per hour is the benchmark used when assigning daily reading. If you read/annotate slower than this, be prepared to spend more time on your reading assignments. 1 Coghill, Nevill, Introduction to The Canterbury Tales
So, read with an open mind and with humility. Ask Chaucer why the tale that each pilgrim gives is fitting for that particular character. Is the character/story combination a reflection on society, on human nature, on the character himself/herself, or a combination of these? What role does irony play in these excerpts of The Canterbury Tales? Summer Writing Assignments Due August 8th, 2018 Study Guide Questions are below and also posted in Google Classroom. Go to this link: https://classroom.google.com/ and join my Classroom with this code: wim3ka If you are unable to join my Google Classroom, share your document with me: julie.francesconi@jaaapps.com Write all assignments using the Google Doc platform. I can comment directly on to your assignments through this medium. Once school begins, I will expect all assignments to be uploaded through our Google Classroom. No exceptions. Please answer each study guide question in body paragraph form as described below. Answers that are not in complete sentences, lack evidence, and/or are full of grammatical and spelling errors will not be graded. Remember to use the Literary Present Tense. See Handout under the ABOUT tab in Google Classroom if you need a refresher. Upload your paragraph responses by the Due Date. 1. STUDY GUIDE QUESTION for The General Prologue As you read through the descriptions of the Pilgrims, think about how the narrator describes them. How might their physical appearance reflect their personalities and moral characters? Choose one of the Pilgrims to analyze and answer the following in a paragraph: How does the physical description of the Pilgrim reflect his or her personality and moral character? 2. STUDY GUIDE QUESTION for The Pardoner s Tale As you read through the Prologue to The Pardoner s Tale and The Pardoner s Tale, compare the character flaw the rioters exhibit to the Pardoner s character. Answer the following in a paragraph: Why might Chaucer have the Pardoner tell this story? 3. STUDY GUIDE QUESTION for The Wife of Bath s Tale
As you read through the Prologue to the Wife of Bath s Tale and The Wife of Bath s Tale, consider what the Wife believes makes a happy marriage. Answer the following in a paragraph: Does the Wife s tale about the Knight and the Loathly Lady support her own agenda? How to Answer Study Guide Questions 1. Write an assertion statement to begin the paragraph. The assertion statement must clearly present what you will be proving in the paragraph. 2. Give evidence. You must present evidence to support your assertion statement. This will consist of a quote from the text or a brief summary of a plot detail. Both of these must be cited using MLA format. 3. Comment on the evidence. Commentary is critical because it creates the connection between the evidence you have given and your assertion statement. For each quote or detail you give, you should give at least twice as much commentary (argument/opinion). These comments are your thoughts on the quote and how that quote relates to your assertion. Do NOT say, I think I feel I believe In my opinion or It seems to me Simply tell your opinion as if it is fact! Your commentary should always support the assertion and explain how this quote or detail proves it. If your evidence or commentary does not support the assertion statement, then you have drifted off track. Your commentary should answer the unspoken question, What does this quote or plot detail show? For each point you are making in the body paragraph, you should have at least two quotes from the text or two sets of details with twice as much commentary offering how this evidence supports the assertion. 4. Write a clincher statement to end the paragraph. The final sentence for each paragraph should be a clincher sentence, one that carefully reflects the assertion statement but does not repeat the wording of that statement. The job of the clincher is to point back to the assertion statement and to prepare the reader to move on to the next topic.
Since these paragraphs are not part of an essay, your clincher statement is limited to what you have proven in the paragraph. *** Please Note: DO NOT SUMMARIZE the plot. Only provide as much plot detail as necessary for your ANALYSIS. Explain the deeper meaning behind the story. ***
Example Study Guide Question and Answer John Adams Academy What causes the rage of Achilles? Achilles becomes incensed when Agamemnon takes his beloved prize, Briseis. Achilles had joined the expedition to Troy to fulfill his vow to Menelaus and win honor for himself. However, instead of being honored by Agamemnon, Achilles finds himself at odds with the king of the Greeks. Achilles complains to his mother that Agamemnon disgraces me, seizes and keeps my prize, / he tears her away himself! (I. 421-422). Briseis had been awarded to Achilles after he successfully led a raid into the towns surrounding Troy. Agamemnon humiliates him when he uses his kingly power to take Briseis from Achilles after he lost his own prize, Chryseis. Since Achilles is by far the most valuable fighter of the entire Greek army, he feels unappreciated and his pride is especially wounded. But adding to the pain of being dishonored is the fact that Achilles has grown to love Briseis. While all the Greek allies fight to retrieve Helen, Menelaus wife, from Paris and the Trojans, the brilliant runner Achilles lay among his ships, / raging over Briseis, the girl with lustrous hair / All for Briseis / his heart was breaking now (II. 784-792). Achilles loves Briseis. Surrendering her to Agamemnon, a man he does not respect and who has mortified his pride, is torment for Achilles. Achilles grieves for his loss and nurses his anger to such an extent that even when he wants to rejoin the fight, he cannot overcome his hatred of Agamemnon. By seizing Briseis, Agamemnon provokes the proud Achilles to seek revenge resulting in the loss of many Greek lives. Paragraph Outline Question: What causes the rage of Achilles? Assertion: Agamemnon taking Briseis causes the rage of Achilles Evidence #1: disgraces me, seizes and keeps my prize, / he tears her away himself! Argument: People get angry when they are humiliated. Achilles is humiliated by Agamemnon. Therefore Achilles is angry. Evidence #2: the brilliant runner Achilles lay among his ships, / raging over Briseis, the girl with lustrous hair / All for Briseis / his heart was breaking now Argument: People get angry when they lose what they love Achilles loses Briseis, the girl he loves, to Agamemnon Therefore Achilles is angry. Clincher : Losing the girl he loves to the man who humiliates him causes Achilles to be angry.
Paragraph Rubric Assertion Statement Deliberate, clear, and specific assertion statement that controls development of the paragraph; thesis demonstrates perceptive reading and understanding of prompt John Adams Academy 10 9 8 7 A clear assertion statement that establishes the purpose of the paragraph; assertion demonstrates a basic conclusion about the literature and prompt Assertion statement addresses the prompt; but may be incomplete, general, simplistic, or overly-ambitious; may merely restate prompt Assertion statement does not provide direction for the paragraph or adequately respond to prompt Organization Deliberate, purposeful and clear organization; paragraph reads as a unified whole; a well-developed assertion statement that controls the paragraph; weaves evidence and analysis to develop the point of the assertion statement; clincher statement summarizes and connects to the bigger picture Clear but predictable organization; assertion statement establishes the focus of the paragraph; paragraph uses evidence and analysis to develop the assertion; Rudimentary organization; is relevant to the prompt but may or may not focus the paragraph; paragraph includes evidence and analysis to support the assertion Did not organize paragraph as instructed Textual Evidence Develops assertion statement with precise and effective evidence; Supports assertion statement with relevant evidence that demonstrates an accurate reading Superficial reading; evidence is limited, obvious, or redundant; may rely on generalizations Takes quotations out of context; may be characterized by inaccuracy or misreading Commentary Perceptive, comprehensive; clearly supportive of assertion; interwoven with evidence Analysis clearly explains how the examples support the assertion statement Analysis limited, undeveloped, or generic; may rely on generalizations; some inaccuracies; Relies on summary or paraphrasing; may not comment on the evidence presented; may define, evaluate, speculate, or offer advice in place of analysis Clincher Statement Clincher statement summarizes and connects to a larger issue Clincher statement may merely restate the assertion statement Clincher statement not relevant to the paragraph No clincher statement included Mechanics Demonstrates mastery of language conventions Includes a few errors in grammar and mechanics Includes errors in grammar or mechanics but errors do not interfere with understanding Numerous errors in grammar or mechanics; errors interfere with understanding Voice Controls voice to enhance communication; varies sentence structure and employs diction to convey the intended message with precision and clarity; transitional language smoothly connects ideas; use of language is deliberate and conveys tone and mood. Diction and sentence structure are accurate and clear; conveys the intended message with clarity Diction may be simplistic or imprecise; sentence structure may be awkward or simple Sentence structure is characterized by a lack of control; diction is inaccurate, immature (i.e. over-reliance on slang); tone may be inappropriate for purpose Content Content is insightful and accurate. Content is accurate, but lacks depth of analysis. More summary than analysis. Content is inaccurate.
Annotations Rubric John Adams Academy Points Criteria 5 Annotated important passages fully with thoughtful comments. 4 3 Annotated important passages with highlights/underlines, but few comments. Annotated important passages with highlights/underlines, but no comments. 2 Annotated less than 3/4 of the reading. 1 Annotated less than 1/2 of the reading. 0 Did not annotate.