READING NOTES pp.90-115

1.  Prepare to Read from The Canterbury Tales: The Prologue
• Geoffrey Chaucer (1343?-1400)
• son of a merchant, page in royal house, soldier, diplomat, royal clerk
• varied experiences helped prepare him to write The Canterbury Tales
• takes reader on journey through medieval society
• The Poet's Beginning
• exact date of Geoffrey Chaucer's birth is unknown
• born into middle-class family / sent in his early teens to work as a page to the wife of Lionel of Antwerp (son of reigning monarch, Edward III)
• introduced into aristocratic society of England
• 1359, captured & held prisoner
• King Edward paid a 16 lb ransom for release
• 1366, married Philippa Pan (a lady-in-waiting to the queen)
• Thomas (eldest child) continued father's rise in world
• The Poet Matures
• began writing in his 20's 
• early poems bases on works of European poets
• followed by various translators and French poetry
• The Book of the Duchess (1369) first major work (1 yr after death of Blanche of Lancaster / wrote poem for  those grieving husband, John of Gaunt)
• Troilus and Criseyde (drawn from Greek legend of Trojan War) displays human character
• The Canterbury Takes
• no one knows who prompt him to begin his work
• inspiration may have come from own participation in pilgrimage to Canterbury
• Pilgrimage- long journey to shrine or holy site, taken by people who wish to express their devotion
• window of London home overlooked pilgrim road that led to Canterbury
• romance to comedy, medieval literature
• only 24 of projected 120 takes finished, but they stand together as complete work
• The Father of English Poetry
• considered greatest English poet
• recognized as shrewd storyteller  / "rain the golden dewdrops of speech and eloquence" 
• lies buried in Westminister Abbey 
• honorary burial area for distinguished writers
• Poets' Corner established around his tomb
2. Chaucer's Guided Tour of Medieval Life and Literature (pg. 92)
• The Journey Begins
• Prologue: Chaucer meets 29 other pilgrims at Tabard Inn (London)
• Harry Bailey, host of inn, sets a challenge: two stories on the way to Canterbury and two stories on the return trip
• Prize: treated to feast by other pilgrims
• 24 different tales set within the overarching tale of pilgrimage
• Snapshots of an Era
• begins survey of medieval society with courtly world (centered around nobility) 
• Chaucer's Knight held land granted by lord or king
• variety ranks of church represented by characters from the Prioress to the Summoner
• A Literary Tour
• no science fiction stories in his day
• popular genres: romances (tales of chivalry), fabliaux (short humorous stories), stories of saint's lives, sermons allergories(pride & honor)
• Knight tells a romance
• Miller a bawdy story
• Middle ages, meters & sound effects of Old English poetry no longer suited changing English language
• adapted French poetic forms to English oh his day
• wrote using: own form, heroic couplet, a pair of rhyming line with 5 stresses syllables each
•  known as father of English poetry
• The Endless Road
• reminds us that every journey from here to there if filled with stories, waiting to be told
3. Inside the Classroom 0 Period (September 19, 2012)

• Important to Remember (since we did get asked in class this morning): 
• The Parson's brother is a Plowman
• Narrator rejoices in renewing the cycle of life
• Narrator appears to be naive
• Pilgrim whose profession gives "a special love of gold" is the Doctor
• Characters are religious pilgrimage
• Chaucer's Wife of Bath's independent
• Knights had been engaged in battles overseas
• The Monk neglects religious duties in order to hunt
• "a noble pillar to his order" uses irony (Friar: high minded beggar)

• irony (subject of the day in 0 Period): opposite of what was intended
• situational irony: audience knows what going to happen but the character doesn't
• verbal irony: word usage opposite of what they're trying to say
• dramatic irony: contradicting what character thinks