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Although it was fated by its author's premature death in 1400 to remain a fragment, Geoffrey Chaucer's most famous work is his narrative poem consisting of tales told by a group of pilgrims entertaining themselves on their way to Canterbury. Told by representatives of the broad spectrum of medieval English society, the stories range from high-minded history and tidy moral tales, via parodies of contemporary romances, down to earthy stories of cuckoldry and seduction. As such they are loosely fitted to their tellers' tastes and professions and tailored to fit into the overarching narrative shape by prologues, interjections or disputes among the characters. In this seminar we shall look at selected tales (in their modern English verse translation) and, of course, at the famous prologue introducing, with subtle irony, the memorable characters. We shall analyse Chaucer's creative use of traditional narrative elements and place the themes and subjects of the tales into a broader historical and social context. Required Reading:
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Geoffrey Chaucer