Aims
This course aims to:
• provide an introductory course to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
• develop an understanding of Chaucer’s texts and literary style
• explore some literary, historical and social contexts of Chaucer's work
Content
This course offers an introduction to a cornerstone of medieval English literature: Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. A richly layered collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims, the Tales encompass an extraordinary range of genres, voices, and perspectives. From courtly romance to bawdy fabliau, from moral allegory to satirical critique, Chaucer crafts a work that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking, and which reveals both the dynamism of his contemporary society.
We explore a selection of The Canterbury Tales over five sessions. We begin with The Knight’s Tale (the first in the collection), which grapples with themes of love, fate, and chivalric honour through the rivalry of two imprisoned knights. We then turn to The Wife of Bath’s Prologue – a bold, provocative, and somewhat problematic exploration of female autonomy, narrated by the unforgettable Alisoun. The Clerk’s Tale presents a stark contrast: this story of the long-suffering Griselda, a model of obedience, raises complex questions about female virtue, suffering, and the limits of patience. In The Pardoner’s Prologue, we explore a shocking confession of greed and hypocrisy which invites discussion of the medieval Church and corruption. Different again, we finish with The Nun’s Priest’s Tale – a mock-epic beast fable in which Chaucer uses the comic misadventures of Chauntecleer the rooster to satirise human folly and reflect on themes of vanity and pride.
In sessions, we engage in detailed discussions of the key themes and characters that make The Canterbury Tales such a rich and enduring work. We also experiment with close reading and analysis to explore the nuances of Chaucer’s writerly style: we examine irony, imagery, wit, and wordplay, for example, and consider their effects within narratives. Throughout the course, we explore how Chaucer’s work relates to the medieval world – in particular the cultural, social, and political traditions and tensions within England and Europe at the time.
No previous knowledge of Middle English literature or language is necessary. Participants should read the texts in translation initially, but sessions will guide and encourage some consideration of Chaucer’s Middle English. Participants should have access to the texts in both the translation and the original in sessions.
Presentation of the course
This course is delivered in five sessions – one a day – each focussing on a different work from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
Course sessions
1. The Knight’s Prologue and Tale: Romance, Fate and Fortune
2. The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale: Authorship and Authority
3. The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale: The Limits of Patience
4. The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale: On the Margins
5. The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue and Tale: Fable, Satire, Epic
Learning outcomes
You are expected to gain from this series of classroom sessions a greater understanding of the subject and of the core issues and arguments central to the course.
The learning outcomes for this course are:
• gain a detailed understanding of some of Chaucer’s best-loved Canterbury Tales and how they fit into the collection as a whole
• develop close reading skills and a keener awareness of Chaucer’s literary style and techniques
• develop an understanding of medieval literature within its cultural and historical contexts
Required reading
*The Knight’s Prologue and Tale
*The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
*The Clerk’s Prologue and Tale
*The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale
*The Nun’s Priest’s Prologue and Tale
These are found in translation in:
Chaucer, Geoffrey, The Canterbury Tales, a verse translation by David Wright with
an introduction and notes by Christopher Cannon, Oxford World Classics, New Edition
(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011)
