Perhaps the chief characteristics of Chaucer's works are their
variety in subject matter, genre, tone, and style and in the complexities presented concerning the human pursuit of a sensible existence
.
What are the salient features of the Age of Chaucer?
the age of Chaucer was an era of transition.
national sentiments grew.
was a clear sign of social tension and unrest. THE Corruption OF THE CCURCH: In the age of Chaucer, the church was the seat of power and prestige.
What is the writing style of Chaucer?
The fact that it rhymes helps you, as the reader, anticipate what comes next. Moreover, like much of Shakespeare's work, Chaucer's frame narrative is written in
iambic pentameter
, an unpretentious, conversational meter with alternate stresses.
What is the criteria for the winning tale?
The criteria includes that each pilgrim would tell two tales each–one on the way there and one on the way back. The tales will be judged by the Host on two criteria: entertainment value and moral lesson. The winner of the contest will
enjoy a meal paid for by the remaining pilgrims at the Host's Taberd Inn
.
What are three features of Chaucer's language and writing style?
Firstly, Chaucer's style is marked by
lucidity of expression, joyous originality and easiness free of ambiguities and direct philosophical maxims
. In describing nearly all his characters, he uses colloquial language easy to understand for a common man.
What is the structure of the General Prologue?
Structure. The General Prologue
establishes the frame for the Tales as a whole (or of the intended whole) and introduces the characters/story tellers
. These are introduced in the order of their rank in accordance with the three medieval social estates (clergy, nobility, and commoners and peasantry).
How Chaucer represent his age?
In his [Chaucer's] poetry we find the essential spirit both of the age that was passing and of the age that was to come. According to him, Chaucer's poetry represents to ages;
his own age and age that was
to come. … It is because Geoffrey Chaucer is representative of his age and he has introduced real people to us.
What is meant by metaphysical poets?
:
highly intellectualized poetry marked by bold and ingenious conceits
, incongruous imagery, complexity and subtlety of thought, frequent use of paradox, and often by deliberate harshness or rigidity of expression.
What are the themes used in the prologue of the Canterbury Tales?
Social Satire. … The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales is an estates satire. In the Host's portraits of the pilgrims, he sets out the
functions of each estate and satirizes how members of the estates
– particularly those of the Church – fail to meet their duties.
What is the main theme of The Canterbury Tales?
Social satire
is the major theme of The Canterbury Tales. The medieval society was set on three foundations: the nobility, the church, and the peasantry. Chaucer's satire targets all segments of the medieval social issues, human immorality, and depraved heart.
What literary devices are used in Canterbury Tales?
Examples of
imagery, allegory, alliteration, satire, hyperbole, allusion, personification and irony
.
Similes
and metaphors in The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer's indirect and direct characterization.
What is the rhyme scheme of The Canterbury Tales?
Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales in iambic pentameter, with five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables. The rhyme scheme of a poem is the pattern of how the last word in the lines rhymes with others. The Canterbury Tales uses
rhyming couplets
, with every two lines rhyming with each other.
What will the winner of the best tale win?
The prize for the best tale is
a free dinner from The Host's Tabard Inn
, but it must adhere to the criteria necessary to win. If the judge decides that the tale is not morally sound or entertaining then that Pilgrim must pay for the expenses of the pilgrimage.
What determines the best tale in the contest?
The host named Harry Bailey
determines the best tales . The contestants are pilgrims who tell two stories: 1) stories of going to Canterbury 2) Stories of coming back from there . The host, Harry Bailey runs the Tabard Inn in Southwark where the pilgrims meet.
What is the competition in Canterbury Tales?
The Canterbury Tales are about
a tale-telling competition in which pilgrims engage on their way to Canterbury
. This competition is supposed to be friendly, but it becomes the opposite of that when some of the professional competition between the pilgrims overshadows the tale-telling one.
Why is the General Prologue important?
The General Prologue
establishes the frame narrative for The Canterbury Tales
, provides a series of compelling vignettes of late medieval society, and gives the reader some context in which to read each tale by introducing the storytellers.
