搜索
TheCanterburytalesGeoffreyChaucerContributionsFatherofEnglishpoetryChaucer,forthefirsttimeinEnglishliterature,presentedtousacomprehensiverealisticpictureoftheEnglishsocietyofhistimeandcreatedawholegalleryofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflifeinhismasterpieceTheCanterburyTales.Chaucerdevelopscharacterizationtoahigherartisticlevel,i.e.characterswhoaremorallyandsociallytypicalbutexquisitelyindividualandrealisticindetail.ChaucerintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplacetheOldEnglishalliterativeverse.ChaucerusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishtherhymedcoupletofiambicpentameterwhichistobecalledlaterastheheroiccouplet.ChaucergreatlyincreasedtheprestigeofEnglishasaliterarylanguageandextendedtherangeofitspoeticvocabularyandmeters.HeisconsideredasagreatmasteroftheEnglishlanguage.Chaucer’scontributionstoEnglishlanguageChaucer’slanguage,nowcalledMiddleEnglish,isvividandexact.Hisverseissmooth.HeintroducedfromFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypes,especiallytherhymedcoupletofiambicpentameterwhichwaslatercalledthe“heroiccouplet”toEnglishpoetry.ThoughdrawinginfluencefromFrench,ItalianandLatinmodels,heisthefirstgreatpoetwhowroteintheEnglishlanguage.HisproductionofsomuchexcellentpoetrywasanimportantfactorinestablishingEnglishastheliterarylanguageofthecountry.ThespokenEnglishofthetimeconsistedofseveraldialects,andChaucerdidmuchinmakingthedialectofLondonthestandardforthemodernEnglishspeech.TheCanterburyTales介绍TheCanterburyTalesisabookofstories.Thisisanimportantbook,becauseitisoneofthefirsttobewrittenintheEnglishlanguage.ThebookisaboutagroupoftravelerswhoaregoingfromLondontoCanterbury.Astheytravelalong,eachpersontellsatale(astory).ThisiswhythebookiscalledTheCanterburyTales.TheCanterburyTales,beguninabout1386,consistsofstoriestoldbysomeofthethirtypilgrimswhosetofffromtheTabardInninSouthwark,London,tovisittheshrineofSt.ThomasaBecket,theArchbishopofCanterburymurderedinhisowncathedralin1170.Theaimwastotellfourstorieseach:twoontheway,twoonthewayback.ThetellerofthebeststorywouldbegivenafreedinnerbythecheerfulhostoftheTabard.Infact,thecollectionisincompleteandonly24storiesaretold.Twoofthestoriesarewritteninproseandtheothersarewritteninverse.ItopenswithageneralprologuewherewearetoldofacompanyofpilgrimsthatgatheredatTabardInninSouthwark,asuburbofLondon.TheyareontheirwaytotheshrineofSt.ThomasàBecketatCanterbury.Theysetouttogetherwiththe“jollyinnkeeper,”HarryBaily,whobecomestheir“governor”andproposesthateachpilgrimshouldtelltwotalesonthewaytoCanterburyandtwomoreonthewayback.Thepilgrimsbeing31inallthetotalnumberoftales,accordingtoChaucer’splan,wastoexceedthatofBaccaccio’sDecameron.ThesepilgrimsincludeaKnight,hissontheSquire,theKnight'sYeoman,aPrioress,aSecondNun,aMonk,aFriar,aMerchant,aClerk,aManofLaw,aFranklin,aWeaver,aDyer,aCarpenter,aTapestry-Maker,aHaberdasher,aCook,aShipman,aPhysician,aParson,aMiller,aManciple,aReeve,aSummoner,aPardoner,theWifeofBath,andChaucerhimself.ThemeInfluencedbytheearlyItalianRenaissance,Chauceraffirmedman'srighttopursueearthlyhappinessandopposedasceticism,praisedman'senergy,intellect,andloveoflife.Meanwhile,healsoexposedandsatirizedthesocialevils,esp.thereligiousabuses.StylelivelyandvividMiddle-AgeEnglishsatiricandhumorousheroiccoupletofunequalmeritsCharacterization---vividportrayalofindividualizedcharactersofthesocietyandofallprofessionsandsocialstrataexceptthehighestandthelowestshowsrespectforthetwolandedgentry,theplowmanandtheparson;satirizedallthereligiouspeopleexcepttheparson;showsagrowingsenseofself-importanceofthetradesandtownspeople,reflectingthechangingsocialstatus,esp.intownsandcities.GeneralPrologue:TheGeneralPrologueisthekeytoTheCanterburytalesthatnarratesaboutthegatheringofagroupofpeopleinaninnthatintendtogoonapilgrimagetoCanterbury(England)nextmorning.IntheGeneralPrologue,thenarratorofTheCanterburyTales,whoisoneoftheintendedpilgrims,providesmoreorlessaccuratedepictionsofthemembersofthegroupanddescribeswhyandhowTheCanterburyTalesistold.IfwetrusttheGeneralPrologue,ChaucerdeterminedthateachpilgrimshouldtelltwotalesonthewaytoCanterburyandtwotalesonthewayback.Thehostoftheinnofferstobeandisappointedasjudgeofthetalesastheyaretoldandissupposedtodeterminethebesthencewinningtale.Asmentionedbefore,TheCanterburyTaleswasneverfinished.ThePrologueprovidesaframeworkforthetales.Itcontainsagroupofvividsketchesoftypicalmedievalfigures.AllclassesoftheEnglishfeudalsociety,excepttheroyaltyandthepoorestpeasant,arerepresentedbythesethirtypilgrims.Everyfigureisdrawnwiththeaccuracyofaportrait.ItisnoexaggerationtosaythattheProloguesuppliesaminiatureoftheEnglishsocietyofChaucer’stime.Lookingathisword-pictures,weknowatoncehowpeoplelivedinthatera.ThatiswhyChaucerhasbeencalled“thefounderofEnglishrealism.”SummaryofTheGeneralPrologueOnApril17thtowardtheendofthefourteenthcenturynineandtwentypilgrimsgatherintheTabardInninSouthwark,justacrosstheriverfromLondon,atthebeginningoftheroadtoCanterbury.GeoffreyChaucertalkstoeachoneandjoinstheircompanyforapilgrimagetoCanterburytoseektheblissfulmartyr,ThomasàBecket.HarryB