Textuality » 3A Interacting
Appunti 01/04/'09
Geoffrey Chaucer
The man who best described the pattern of life and the cultural atmosphere of the Middle Ages in England was Geoffrey Chaucer. He is considered the father of English literature. His masterpiece is The Canterbury Tales but before he had produced other works. He had translated the French poem Roman De La Rose which is the quintessence of courtly romantic love. Most of his works was influenced by French and Italian contemporary literature. The theme of Fine Loving related to the relaxed atmosphere of medieval courts and the rituals of chivalry are explored in The Legend of Good Women Troilus and Criseyde.
His prologue to The Canterbury Tales is considered immortal.
He describes with irony the different characters.
During the Middle Ages romances and ballads were told and sung at firesides and at courts.
Romances:
Had as their main themes The Arthurian Legends set in England, Charle Magne Legend borrowed from France and The Legend of Troy filtered thought Italy.
In the 15th century (1400) the first books were printing in England by Caxton. The first translated work was the story of king Arthur and knights of round table. The version vas by Sir. Thomas Malory. It was based on a French original and his title was La Morte D'Artur.
Ballads:
The production of ballads characterized Medieval England.
They come mainly from the oral tradition and were generally accompanied by music and dance. The main ingredients of ballads were Refrains Stock Epithets, Formulike Pattern, Narrative Content, Theme.
They were most composed in 4-lined stanzas and were later collected by bishops Thomas Percy in Reliques of Ancient English Poetry and by Wolter Scelt in Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border. The main themes of this kind of poetry were: tragic love stories, the supernatural, the battles on the borders between Scotland and England.
English forms of Drama:
Drama was another significant expression of Medieval culture. The English tradition of drama dates back to the late 13th and early 14th century. A dramatic element is present of the rituals of any community life (births, marriages, funerals, initiation ceremonies) especially in primitive literature.
It was true also for the early forms of drama with which Celts, Angle, Saxons, Danes and Normans were used to be entertained. It is obvious that these were form of popular performances with the advent of Christianity new dimensions were added to this performances.
Miracle and Mystery plays:
They were the earliest dramatic performances in Great Britain were based essentially on sacred history or on the legend of the saints. The great circles of the Gospel were tractate the Nativity, the Passion and the resurrection.
These representations were performed during religious festivals: Corpus Cristis Day, Christmas, Whitsuntide and Ester.
Appunti 02/04/'09
The Canterbury Tales
It is a collection of stories introduced by a general prologue it provides the narrative framework of the book. It is a poetic work even if it has got some narrative parts. You know about them thanks to a manuscript.
The general prologue gives information about:
•§ Setting (place and time) London(Southwark) Tabard Inn
•§ Characters 29 pilgrims (people from different social classes)
•§ Event: they are going on a pilgrimage to Canterbury (where was murdered Thomas à Becket in 1170 by four knights because he defended the church against the Henry II) there were three women all the rest were men.
Three women:
•§ A nun
•§ A prioress
•§ A woman from Bath
The men belonged to different classes:
•§ Upper class: Knight and his son a Squire
•§ Middle class: a Merchant, a Lawyer, a Scholar from Oxford and a Physician
•§ Clergy: a Monk, a Friar and a Parson
•§ Traders: a Carpenter, a Miller and a sea-captain
The idea is to provide the reader with the representation of the society of the Middle Ages. The pilgrims met in a inn: the Tabard Inn. The host suggest that each pilgrim should tell two stories along the journey to Canterbury. When they come back from Canterbury they also have to tell two stories. He or she who tells the best story will gain a free dinner at the Tabard Inn.
The host is himself a pilgrim he will be the judge of the best tail.
The collection consist in 24 stories that can be classified in:
•§ Romances (love, magic, knightly adventures)
•§ Tales with a moral
•§ Comedies ( comic-realistic stories)
•§ Animal fables (animals are the main characters)
You don't know much about the order of the stories because you have different orders in different manuscripts.
The language is the one of the period.