PowerPoint by Justin Lowry

History of Chaucer

• Born somewhere between 1342-1345 and died on October 25, 1400.

• Chaucer married Phillippa who bore him 2 sons and a daughter.

• He was fluent in French and Latin.

• He wrote The Canterbury Tales from 1380s until the late 1390s.

Overview of his early life• He left home and became

a page when he was fourteen.

• As he got older, he work in the government, helping various rich men and kings.

• He traveled to Italy a lot on business and met a Petrarch.

• Here he became familiar with Italian stories and poetry.

About The Canterbury Tales

• Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories. Two written in prose and the rest are written in verse.

• All the stories are contained inside a frame tale which are told by several pilgrims.

• Some of the tales are serious and others comical.

• The themes of the tales vary, and include topics such as courtly love, treachery, and avarice.

• Religious malpractice is a major theme.• Also, focusing on the division of the

three estates (nobility, clergy, and commoners) are a big part of the tales.

• The genres also vary, and include romance, Breton lai, sermon, beast fable, and fabliaux.

About the Story

• Several pilgrims are traveling from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the Shrine of Saint Thomas Becket.

• The people come from all layers of society.

• They decide to entertain themselves to kill time and tell each other stories while riding on their horses.

• Thus, The Canterbury Tales are born.

• The General Prologue• The Knight's Tale• The Miller's Prologue and Tale• The Reeve's Prologue and Tale• The Cook's Prologue and Tale• The Man of Law's Prologue and

Tale• The Wife of Bath's Prologue and

Tale• The Friar's Prologue and Tale• The Summoner's Prologue and

Tale• The Clerk's Prologue and Tale• The Merchant's Prologue and

Tale• The Squire's Prologue and Tale• The Franklin's Prologue and

Tale

• The Physician's Tale• The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale• The Shipman's Tale• The Prioress' Prologue and Tale• Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas• The Tale of Melibee• The Monk's Prologue and Tale • The Nun's Priest's Prologue and

Tale• The Second Nun's Prologue and

Tale • The Canon's Yeoman‘s Prologue

and Tale• The Manciple's Prologue and Tale• The Parson's Prologue and Tale • Chaucer's Retraction

Tales incomplete• It was originally

intended that each character in the story tell four tales (two on the way to Canterbury and two coming back)

• If this had happened, there would have been a possible 120 total stories.

• That would have been way more than the 24 stories actually written.

Significance of The Canterbury Tales

Works Cited

• The Riverside Chaucer. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1987. F.N. Robinson, ed.

• "The Canterbury Tales: Critical Overview". 2005. 19 Feb 2008. <http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-canterburytales/crit.html>.

• "The Canterbury Tales." 19 Feb 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Canterbury_Tales>.