  Through explanatory narrative, dramatized readings and medieval art, this program builds apprecication of "The Canterbury Tales" and a sense of 14th-century English life. On-location photography of the actual route followed by the Pilgrims, and of the great cathedrals of Canterbury, Salisbury and Winchester adds perspective to the poet's life. A pilgrim reviews the role of Canterbury pilgrimmages, Chaucer's career, his use of vernacular English, and his wit, descriptive genius and power of characterization. Students hear the Miller, Friar, Pardoner, Prioress, Wife of Bath and other pilgrims introduce themselves in the "Prologue" and then enjoy the classic tale of the Nun's Priest. (25 min). DVD is also available for streaming through Contemporary Arts Media |
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| Teacher's Guide • Introduction Geoffrey Chaucer: Poet and Pilgrim is a two-part program that introduces Chaucer as a public personage, poet, social critic, psychologist, and storyteller. Formidable as this may seem the program does it in a lively way, without the least intimidation of the viewer. Chaucer, through his characters, is allowed to speak for himself for the most part, with more than half the audio portion of the program composed of carefully chosen excerpts from The Canterbury Tales, newly translated for this program. The visual material has been selected with equal care to give the viewer a sense of the place and time and cultural climate in which the tales were written. A third element of the program, the music, is also important. It is made up entirely of compositions with which Chaucer might have been familiar. Part I begins with the opening lines of the General Prologue, Chaucer’s lyrical description of the English spring. The effect he says spring has on the hearts of men is easily comprehended when the poetry is hear while viewing photographs of the English countryside in April. (The photographs and others throughout the program, many showing typical scenes along the old Pilgrims’ Way from London to Canterbury, were taken especially for this video, as were all those of the cathedrals and other landmarks.) Part I continues by calling attention to what was new about The Canterbury Tales: that Chaucer used everyday English, rather than court French or scholarly Latin; more important, that he wrote the first realistic portrayal of the emerging middle class, as lively a group as was ever imagined, but just beginning to be thought worthy of notice in literature. To account for Chaucer’s wide acquaintance and his profound knowledge of human nature, a short biographical sketch is given next. The illustrations here are taken from old manuscripts. They show Chaucer as his admirers remembered him and as he has come down to us, as well as some of the activities of city and country life with which he was familiar. • Teaching and Discussion Material Following the brief biographical sequence, Chaucer, through his text, speaks again, telling how the famous pilgrims came to meet at the Tabard Inn, all bound for Canterbury to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket, and then Chaucer’s Host explains his plan for the pilgrims to travel together, telling tales to while away the time as they go. The prize for the best tale will be a supper at the Tabard when they return, The Host says. This speech of Harry Bailly’s—revealing him to be good-humored, given to a certain familiarity, at the same time obsequious, and certainly long-winded—is the first intimation in the program of Chaucer’s powers of indirect characterization through speech. Now the narrative takes passing note of the fact that Chaucer never finished The Canterbury Tales, that only 24 of the Host’s proposed 120 tales were written and not all of them completed—a fact overshadowed, as will be shown, by the brilliance of the General Prologue and of the many tales which were finished. A brief explanation of the medieval concept of society as being comprised of three “estates” is interjected here, to account for Chaucer’s class-conscious description of the Knight first. The program then continues with a part of this description, accompanied visually by several ideal knights as they were pictured in manuscripts of the time. It is shown next that the second estate, the clergy, with few exceptions, did not fare so well at Chaucer’s hands. His vivid descriptions of the rascally Friar and Summoner are presented here. Chaucer’s characterization of the Prioress follows, and he handles her more gently than some of his other religious figures. Still, as the program shows, only the poor country Parson receives Chaucer’s wholehearted approval. There are other important pilgrims still to be met, of course, but they will introduce themselves or be introduced in Part II. Part I, having established the structure of the book and shown something of the diversity of the characters, continues with a part of the first tale, the Knight’s colorful account of a tournament. Part I concludes with the Miller’s drunken outburst at the end of the Knight’s tale, and a brief summary by the narrator of the course that the rest of the book will take. Part II begins by re-emphasizing that Chaucer was one of the first realistic writers in English, and goes on to prove the point with extensive excerpts from the confessions of two of his most memorable pilgrims, the greedy Pardoner and the jolly Wife of Bath. Some of the most interesting visual materials of the program are used here—woodcarvings, stories in stained glass, and manuscript illustrations. The second half of Part II is, with the briefest possible interpolations by the narrator, Chaucer’s famous “Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” the fable of the rooster and the fox. Perhaps because Chaucer’s words paint such a lively picture, no contemporary illustrations of this tale exist. Fort this program, therefore, it was necessary to recreate (with a 20th century rooster and a 20th century fox!) the scenes in which the wily fox captures Chanticleer, the wild chase that follows, and Chanticleer’s clever escape. Part II concludes with Chanticleer perched “high above the fox’s wicked head,” and a reminder that no one will ever know whether the Nun’s Priest or some other pilgrim won the prize for the best tale, but that it hardly matters, since from the first, the reader of The Canterbury Tales has been the real winner, having here a timeless portrait gallery and some of the wittiest stories ever told. • Using the Program The purpose of Geoffrey Chaucer: Poet and Pilgrim is, first of all, to introduce The Canterbury Tales to the student not as some dull and difficult “classic” he or she “has” to read, but as a book to be read for pleasure. She will learn that it is filled with stories and characters as real and fascinating (and often as funny) as any she will ever meet in literature. She will learn that it is, once well met, a book to which she can return all her life. Secondly, the program attempts to rescue the 14th century from the “Dark Ages.” It is impossible to pretend the book was written only yesterday, but it is possible to show that the late medieval period was a time as spirited as our own. To accomplish these two purposes, it was decided to use none of Chaucer’s original Middle English which, in spite of its tantalizing look of familiarity, is often classified by linguists as foreign language. Instead, a modern translation would be used, with as much of the program as possible to consist of excerpts from the tales. Thus, Chaucer would be allowed to “speak for himself,” but in language he might use if he were writing today. It was also decided that present-day scenes of the English countryside, in those places where it is little changed by the centuries, would help to establish the sense of place and time so necessary to enjoyment of any book. Materials from other sources—manuscript illuminations, church carvings and stained glass windows—would show to what extent Chaucer’s words reflected reality, including the climate of opinion in which he wrote. It will be noted that in a few places comparatively modern illustrations of the characters have been used. This was done where no suitable medieval materials exist which would have maintained continuity and interest, and where it would not violate the spirit of historical accuracy in which the production was undertaken. Before using the program with your class, please preview it carefully, just as you would a literature selection. Decide how it can be used most successfully with your students. Note the specific things in each part which you feel should be covered in a preliminary discussion. It is hoped that the video will lead to extensive follow-up discussion, reading, and re-viewing. Include in your notes a list of words and phrases which might present some difficulties for your students—for instance, the Pardoner’s function as a seller of indulgences and relics. You may also wish to call attention in advance to certain images of special interest—for example, the Ellesmere miniatures; the woodcarvings; the stained glass “miracle” windows in Canterbury Cathedral which light the area where the shrine of St. Thomas once stood. It is again recommended, however, that all preliminary discussion be kept to a minimum, and that instead, opportunities be provided for the class or individual students to return to these images for more leisurely viewing after the program has been shown. A last suggestion: if a map of England is available, trace the Pilgrim’s Way from London to Canterbury. It is a short sixty miles just south of the Thames from Southwark through Deptford, Greenwich, Dartford, Rochester, Sittingbourne, Ospring and Boughton. An easy two-hour drive today, it was a three-and-a-half-or four day trip for pilgrims in Chaucer’s time. This route follows that of the old Roman road known as Watling Street, and includes the “signposts” that Chaucer mentions throughout the tales to heighten the illusion of reality for his imaginary pilgrimage. Ideally, both parts of the program should be presented in a single class period without pause for discussion, but if this is not possible and they must be shown in consecutive class periods, it will be found that Part II can be shown successfully with brief reminders of the material in Part I. • Glossary Part I Zephyr - In the classical mythology, the name for the west wind, the softest breeze of all. Aries - The first sign of the zodiac, the Ram, which the sun enters about March 21, leaves about April 21, according to our calendar. It was about ten days earlier, Old Style. Chaucer says that by the time the sun is halfway through this sign, Spring is really here and people are thinking of going on pilgrimages. In the case of the Canterbury pilgrims, they actually go a little later, April 18 being mentioned specifically as one of the days they are enroute to the shrine. Tutelage - Teaching, instruction, guardianship. Nature taught the birds to be loving in spring and they hardly seemed able to sleep on account of it. Pilgrimage - A journey to a shrine, still a popular undertaking, especially to such places as Lourdes and the Holy Land. Beguiled - Enchanted, charmed. Shire - A division in England roughly similar to a state in the United States. A more modern name is county. Wend - To find one’s way to, to travel on a course for some place. St. Thomas - Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered in the Cathedral in 1170 by men who believed they were doing the will of Henry II. He was immediately a popular martyr, credited with many miraculous healings. Much of the Cathedral was reconstructed shortly after his death to accommodate what was to become the richest shrine in England. Pilgrim’s Way The route from London to Canterbury. It is thought that the Church acted as travel agent, perhaps, assembling groups of pilgrims in Southward who would travel together for mutual protection. On a map, the principal towns along the way were Deptford, Greenwich, Dartford, Rochester, Sittingbourne, Ospring and Boughton. Southwark - An area across the Thames and south of London, site of the Tabard Inn. Dignitary - Strictly speaking, one who holds a place of high honor in a church. Chilvary - Originally, mere horsemanship. The word has come to mean all the qualities of brave knighthood under the feudal system. Liege Lord - Under the feudal system, the lord to whom one owed allegiance. All, of course, owed allegiance ultimately to the chief lord, the King, but there were intermediate nobles from the knight on up who owed allegiance to each other in an ascending scale of rank and responsibility. Unscrupulous Without principles. The Summoner did not hesitate to do what he knew was wrong. Cherubic - Referring to the cherubim, one of the orders of angels. In Chaucer’s day, they were usually shown with red or bright pink faces, and it is assumed that it was only this color that Chaucer meant to stress. Mottled - With spots or stains of color. The Summoner’s complexion was repulsively blotchy with pimples. • Part II Indulgences - In the Roman Catholic Church, sins forgiven because of penance might still be punished after death by a term in purgatory. It was to avoid this delay on the way to heaven that people were willing to pay for papal indulgences, which promised to remit this punishment. The money was used to maintain the papal treasury, and the practice was considered necessary as a way of taxing church members who would not submit to more direct levies to support the church. Avarice - Greed. Gullible - Easily tricked or taken in. Relics - Something venerated (honored) by the faithful because of its association with a saint or other holy person. Some relics were fragments of the body or clothing. Cadences - The rhythm of language, the sound of the voice in speaking. Bereft - Past tense of bereave, used here to indicated the loss of immaterial things, such as love or hope. Crone - An old and ugly woman; a withered hag. Dell - A little secluded valley. Wattle Fencing A fencing made by interweaving small flexible sticks. Bailiwick - Originally, the area under the control of a bailiff. It has come to mean one’ special province or domain. Sinister - Evil, threatening; suggesting some hidden danger. Distaff - The stick for holding the fiber (wool, flax, etc.) in spinning yarn or thread. • A Chronology of Chaucer’s Life and Times The purpose of the following chronology is to try to give no more than the briefest sketch of events in the 14th century and some account of selected incidents in Chaucer’s life. While the many references to royal comings and goings may seem tedious, they are helpful to an understanding of Chaucer’s position as a man in the very center of the power structure of his time through his forty-year friendship with John of Gaunt, who was in turn Regent for his father, Edward III, and for his nephew, Richard II, and who undoubtedly helped to depose Richard and set up his own son as the new King Henry IV. Chaucer was never an obscure poet struggling to survive in some garret. 1. Edward III, 15 years old, became King of England. Through his mother he was a grandson of Philip IV of France, but he was without legal claim to that throne. 1. Edward, the Black Prince, first son of Edward III, was born. 1. Edward III decided to renew his claim to the throne of France, beginning the Hundred Years War. This war was the occasion of Chaucer’s military service and also of much of the diplomacy that he undertook in the 70’s and early 80’s. 2. Prince Lionel (of Antwerp), duke of Clarence and second surviving son of Edward III, was born. He became Chaucer’s first patron, and it is in the records of his household that Chaucer is first mentioned as a page in 1357. 1340 Prince John of Gaunt (Ghent), duke of Lancaster, was born. Chaucer probably first met him through his brother Lionel in 1357. c. 1340 Chaucer was born, the son and grandson of prosperous wine merchants who had enjoyed the patronage of the King. 1348-49 The first and worst visitation of the plague called the Black Death began. Estimates have been made that from one-fourth to one-half the population of England died. (As late as 1369, this same disease killed the wives of both Edward III and his son John.) The severe shortage of labor caused by the plague and the consequent high money wages being offered gave rise to much discontent with the feudal laws which bound many peasants to the land at fixed rates. The plague also led to an increase in sheep farming, which could be done profitably with fewer men than crop farming. This in turn led to the growth of a prosperous middle class dependent on the wool trades. Chaucer benefited directly when he was appointed by royal favor to the Controllership of the Customs for wool, hides and sheepskins. The importance of this trade is reflected in The Canterbury Tales by the number of pilgrims engaged in it. 2. The English won the battle of Poitiers. As a result, a treaty was signed by which Edward III gave up his claim to the French throne but received large landholdings in France. The history of the next 100 years is more or less the history of efforts to keep or reclaim these lands and the throne of France. 3. Chaucer was captured in France, probably while on a raid with John of Gaunt. He was ransomed, in part by a contribution of 16 pounds made by Edward III, of whose household he later became a member. A pound in those days was worth perhaps forty to fifty times as much as it is today. 1360-67 There is obscurity in the records of Chaucer’s life in these years. He may have been in Ireland with Lionel or, more likely, he was learning law in one of the Inns of Court in London. 1. English was declared the official language of the law courts, but the rule was disregarded by lawyers who continued to speak a French jargon. As early as 1258 a royal proclamation had been made in English, but a century later anyone aspiring to a life at court had to be bilingual, at least, and all scholarship was in Latin. c. 1366 Chaucer married the daughter of a Flemish knight. She was a lady-in-waiting first to the Queen and later to John of Gaunt’s wife. (Edward III’s wife, Philippa of Hainault, was also Flemish.) 1. Henry (Bolingbroke), John of Gaunt’s first son, the future Henry IV, was born. 2. Chaucer was granted a lifetime pension from Edward III. Richard, the only son of Edward, the Black Prince, was born. He was the future Richard II. 4. Chaucer was probably campaigning in France with Gaunt. Gaunt’s wife died and Chaucer’s sister-in-law became guardian of Gaunt’s daughters. The King, now 57 years old, was considered to be in his dotage and Gaunt was ruling in effect. 5. Chaucer was sent on the first of many diplomatic missions. 6. John, the first of four children, was born to John of Gaunt by Chaucer’s sister-in-law, Catherine. These children were declared legitimate by act of Parliament when Gaunt married Catherine in 1396. Meantime, in 1372, Gaunt married Constance of Castile, giving him a claim on the Spanish throne. 1374 Chaucer was appointed to Controllership of the Customs on condition he “write the rolls with his own hand.” Many records of this activity exist today. He was excused from this chore when he was sent abroad by the King. 1376 The Black Prince died and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. By now, all but Calais had been lost in France and Gaunt was blamed. 1377 Edward II died; Richard II became King with Gaunt as Regent. Chaucer was a member of a mission to try to negotiate a marriage for Richard II, ten years old at this time. (The Wife of Bath said she was twelve the first time she was married.) 1378 The papal schism began, lasting until 1417, causing a decline in the prestige and credibility of the papacy. Even before this, the popes had been French and much disliked in England because the English believed the popes were secretly aiding the French in the war. Chaucer probably made his second visit to Italy. 1380 Wycliffe’s controversial new English translation of the Bible was begun at Oxford. Some of Chaucer’s friends were Wycliffites and were eventually executed for it. The cause was officially popular as long as Wycliffe preached that the monastery lands should be reclaimed for the nation, but when he began to preach that the Bible was sufficient authority rather than the Pope, John of Gaunt repudiated him. The Pope was needed by the King because the King was unable to levy sufficient taxes to support his government, and had, instead, to see that his chief administrative officers were appointed to high church offices by the Pope as a means of paying them. The abuses which Wycliffe attributed to the church and which Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, attributed to corrupt individuals within the church, went uncorrected for another 150 years. 1381 The Peasants’ Revolt occurred. Richard II, aged 14, became a hero by meeting the rebels and persuading them to disperse, but he did not keep his promises to them. (It is interesting to speculate whether Chaucer’s Plowman represents a group Chaucer sympathized with or is his “exception that proves the rule.” Perhaps as a good diplomat he was deliberately ambiguous.) The Revolt may have hastened the end of the feudal system where it still existed. 1382 Chaucer was appointed Controller of the Petty Customs on wines. 1385 John of Gaunt was out of power by now and gone to Spain, his younger brother, Thomas, duke of Gloucester, was in control of Richard’s government. Chaucer “retired” to Kent after resigning the Controllership of the Customs on wool, etc., but was appointed Justice of the Peace, which meant he was the principal agent for the King for local affairs in Kent. He was also elected to Parliament for one term. c. 1387 Chaucer’s wife died. He probably began The Canterbury Tales as such this year, although some of the stories had been written or translated earlier. 1389 Richard II came of age and began to rule. He seemed a model king, mindful of Lords and Commons. Chaucer was appointed Clerk of the King’s Works. He was in charge of repair and maintenance of ten large royal establishments. During this time he was also in charge of erecting scaffolding for two tournaments. More than once he was robbed, however, and once he was beaten, and he resigned in 1391. 1391 Chaucer was appointed deputy forester of the royal forest of North Petherton in Somerset. The appointment was renewed in 1398. 1393 Chaucer received a gift of ten pounds from Richard II. 1394 Richard granted Chaucer a new pension of twenty pounds per year. 1395 Chaucer received a robe worth eight pounds as a gift from Henry Bolingbroke, for whom he had also performed some services. 1397 The period of Richard II’s tyranny began. 1399 Richard was deposed by Henry Bolignbroke with the aid of Parliament. As King Henry IV, he renewed Chaucer’s life pension. Chaucer took a long lease on a house in Long. Gaunt died. 1400 Richard II died, probably by starvation and at the order of Henry IV. Chaucer died and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His survivors were probably two sons and a daughter, but there is much uncertainty about this. • Discussion Questions The study of Chaucer can range from cursory to comprehensive; the individual student’s interest and ability limit what the class as a whole can attempt. Therefore, the questions given here are of many degrees of difficulty. Some will be suitable for all classes. Some will be useful as suggestions for further inquiry for students who are ready to go deeper into The Canterbury Tales than the usual secondary school course takes them. But whether or not you make use of the questions below, please remember that some of the best discussions will be started by questions your students raise themselves, or that occur to you as you view the program. • Part I 1. When we read The Canterbury Tales, we are apt to recognize all our friends and family among the pilgrims, but see ourselves in Chaucer. Why do you think this is so? If we were really like Chaucer, how might we see ourselves? Why did Chaucer make himself one of the Canterbury pilgrims in his story? It can be said that the ironist often sees himself as part of the situation he means to poke fun at but the satirist never does. Do you think Chaucer was an ironist or a satirist? Why? 2. When the Friar makes an excuse for neglecting the sick and needy by saying that it was no use for them to know him, what does he really mean? What was the Friar’s real duty to the sick and needy? 3. It is sometimes said that people in the Middle Ages believed in miracles more readily than people nowadays. In what sense might this be true? What is a miracle? Do people nowadays believe in miracles? Why do you think some people want to believe in miracles? 4. Some people are not as handsome as others. Discuss the effect on less handsome people of the tradition in literature that evil is often “clothed” in ugliness. Compare Chaucer’s use of physical ugliness for the Summoner with traditional Westerns that clothe the bad men in black and often depict them as bad-looking. Do you think beauty is only skin deep? Why? Try to think of characters in literature where the opposite tradition prevails and evil is cloaked in physical beauty. Which tradition seems most moving to you? Why? If you have read Carl Sandburg’s biography of Lincoln, The War Years, you may wish to compare the abuse Lincoln endured with Chaucer’s description of the Summoner. 5. Discuss tournaments in the Middle Ages as spectacle and sport. Using a colorful amount of a recent football game or some other contact sport, find similarities and differences between jousting and the modern sport. Why do you think contact sports are popular? 6. Modern war is sometimes described is sometimes described as “impersonal” as compared to the hand-to-hand combat the Knight engaged in. do you think this is a valid distinction? Why or why not? 7. Try to imagine some present-day events which would naturally bring together a group as heterogeneous as Chaucer’s pilgrims were, in a situation where they would be naturally forced to interact. Discuss any modern stories you know of that are built on this story-within-a-story model. How much do you think the modern author is indebted to Chaucer for this idea? 8. Chaucer’s description of spring, at the beginning of The Canterbury Tales, was a routine opening for a poem in those days. Why does it seem made to order for this poem? What does it add to the poem in regard to motivation, sense of place, time, mood, and suspense? Does Chaucer’s description of spring and the effects it has on men and plants and birds ring true today? Explain your answer. 9. Try to learn more about the original reasons for the founding of the monasteries and the orders of friars. Compare their deterioration as to purpose through the centuries with the deterioration some critics say has occurred in America since the early settlers came here with certain well-defined social purposes. What do you think takes the place of the original purpose in any social group after a while? 10. Why do you think Chaucer uses the Prioress’ table manners as one of her chief characteristics? Can you tell very much about a person from the way he behaves at table? Do you think people should cry when a mouse is caught in a trap? Why? 11. Find Winchester, Rochester, Salisbury and Canterbury on a map of England. These are four of the towns whose cathedrals are shown in the video. Other towns nearby had cathedrals or very large churches, too. Why do you think towns so close together all built such grand churches at about the same time? Why do you think the towns have more trouble now finding the money to maintain these churches than the builders had finding the money to build them? Do you think it is more fun to buy something new than to have something old repaired? Why? What does “keeping up with the Joneses” mean? Do you think this saying might apply to some of the bishops who built these churches? To the people who helped to pay for them? What things today call forth the same degree of sacrifice that people made in order to build the cathedrals? 12. Have you ever met anyone like Harry Bailly, the Host, who seems to enjoy bossing other people around and arranging good times times for them? What do you think such people are trying to achieve for themselves? 13. Discuss the ambiguity of Chaucer’s position (as a very high-ranking member of the third estate) in relation to that of the Knight (a low-ranking member of the first estate). What do you think would be the effect on some person in Chaucer’s position who did not have his sense of humor if that person were forced to defer to someone like the Knight? 14. None of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales seems to be ill or recently miraculously cured of anything, although the Knight probably felt that he was indebted to someone for being spared when he was in constant danger. St. Thomas’ was known as a healing shrine. What do you think were the real motives of the pilgrims with whom you are familiar? What reasons for their pilgrimage might they have given each other in conversation enroute? 15. Self-realization might be defined as seeing yourself as unique and of some consequence in the world. What effect on their self-realization would The Canterbury Tales have had for those people in England who did not know French or Latin, but spoke English? Compare this effect with the effect that contemporary youth-oriented literature has on your generation. What might have been the effect on the monolingual English is they had had the opportunity or had been forced to learn French or Latin? What would be the effect on your parents if they were forced to learn “your language”? • Part II 1. Who were the “common people” Chaucer wrote about? Do you think there really is such a thing as “common people”? Do you think Chaucer thought there was? Why do we say that Chaucer makes individuals of universal types and vice versa? How does he do this? 2. It is said that Chaucer was a good psychologist before psychology was a science. What is psychology? Is it necessary to study psychology as a science in order to be a good writer nowadays? Why? 3. Discuss the Wife of Bath as a symbol of the Women’s Liberation movement of her day. 4. The Wife of Bath is almost routinely described as “jolly.” Do you think this is a good word to describe her? What are some other words you might use, too? 5. Do you think the Wife of Bath meant it when she said she was not all “forlorn, bereft of everything”? Why? What does her presence among the pilgrims tell us about her courage? Her spirit of adventure? Her piety? Her determination to shape her own life? 6. If the Wife of Bath could be married for the first time at twelve years old, what do you suppose childhood was like in England in the 14th century? 7. Why do you think the Pardoner always preached about greed? Why do you think he told the pilgrims his relics were fake? Why do you think he offered them for sale after confessing this? 8. It seems possible that the buyer of a pardon might be self-deceiving or self-serving, rather than gullible. Do you think a money punishment (fine or payment for indulgences) is the same in effect as a time punishment (imprisonment or time in purgatory after death)? 9. If you have read Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis, compare Lewis’ treatment of his clergyman with Chaucer’s treatment of the Pardoner or the Friar. Why do characters like these make good story material? 10. Find out the meanings of atheism and anticlericalism. With these definitions in mind, what might we mean if we said someone “threw out the baby with the bath water”? Do you think Chaucer was anticlerical? Atheistic? Why? Chaucer says his heart was “the deepest well of piety.” What do you think he meant? 11. Compare Chaucer’s description of Pertelote with her character as revealed in the words she uses to Chanticleer after he tells her of his frightening dream. Why does Chaucer not say she was an overbearing shrew? How do you think Chanticleer might have described Pertelote? Why? 12. What does the fox mean when he says he has entertained Chanticleer’s mother and father, to his great pleasure? Why did Chanticleer not get the point of this statement? 13. What is the difference between praise and flattery? Is the response to both the same? Why? How do we know the fox was flattering Chanticleer? Might the fox have achieved the same purpose if the rooster had really been a great singer and the fox had been able to praise his voice sincerely? How would their r |
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