Chaucer's Models of Authorship and his Anxiety of Influence in the Prologue to the 'Legend of Good Women.

Chaucer's Models of Authorship and his Anxiety of Influence in the Prologue to the 'Legend of Good Women. There is no doubt that Sir Geoffrey Chaucer placed immense value upon the integrity and accuracy of his work. This is clearly evident in the poem, 'Chaucers Wordes Unto Adam, his Owne Scriveyn', where he reprimands his scribe Adam for his negligence and over zealousness in copying texts he has given him. 'But after my makyng thow wryte more trewe, So ofte adaye I mot thy werk renewe, It to correct and eke to rubbe and scrape, And al is thorugh thy negligence and rape.' (Chaucer, 'Adam' 4-7) It is a short, yet passionate poem as it succinctly illustrates the intense ferocity Chaucer felt toward Adam for altering his creations; as demonstrated when he calls down a plague upon poor Adam's head! Chaucer's preoccupation with the transmission of texts that are of quality and 'trewe' spills over into another of his works, prologue to Legend of Good Women [G Text], in which he examines the whole concept of his responsibility as an author in a more holistic fashion. This essay seeks to discuss how Chaucer felt about his accountability as an author, translator and mediator of texts and the influences that fashioned his subjectivity as a writer. It also seeks to explore the anxiety that Chaucer displays in the prologue as to his justification as an author and his

  • Word count: 2892
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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What significance does the natural world hold in The Franklin's Tale? (From what you have read so far)

What significance does the natural world hold in The Franklin's Tale? (From what you have read so far) Nature can be perceived as a fundamental theme in Chaucer's writing during certain parts of The Franklin's Tale. It can be conveyed as a positive or negative aspect of the characters surroundings. Dorigen's castle stands "faste by the see." The sea is significant to Dorigen's feelings in several different ways. The unpredictable and commanding reputation of the sea could represent Dorigen's anger, motivated by Aviragus' departure. The sea can be seen as a prison to Dorigen, stressing how secluded she feels from the rest of the world. Her castle is "upon the bank an heigh," which emphasizes how far she is from Aviragus, as the sea can possibly be perceived as a link between her and him. The freedom of the water can be seen as an ironic contrast between Dorigen's current emotional status and how she may have felt before Aviragus left. Dorigen presents a description of the "reisly rokkes blake." This description can be seen as hyperbolic as she spends an extensive amount of time describing them and questioning God about His placement of them. Again the rocks (as well as the sea) act as an objective correlative. Dorigen's speech is very aggressive; she uses the consonance of the harsh "k" sound contrasted with the alliteration of the softer "r" sound to create a more

  • Word count: 880
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Paying close attention to the passage, comment on what insights this offers into the Pardoner's concerns and methods - (The Pardoner's Prologue, lines 141-176).

Paying close attention to the passage, comment on what insights this offers into the Pardoner's concerns and methods. (The Pardoner's Prologue, lines 141-176) In this passage, we are introduced to the Pardoner's motivations in tricking people, how he tricks people and his corrupted nature. Through this, we are given insights into the Pardoner's concerns, that of his trade and the idea of sin. We also gain an insight on the Pardoner's method of performance. One of the insights we gain through the Pardoner's description of his job in the passage is on the theme of hypocrisy. The Pardoner says here, "kan I preche again that same vice/ Which that I use, and that is avarice". From this, we see how illogical it is for someone to be criticising about the extreme love for money when he himself is obsessed with amassing a large amount of wealth. It shows that the Pardoner does not really mean what he says and that what he does is all just a performance. While it is ironic that the Pardoner is successful in preventing people from sinning by committing sins himself, we see that the Pardoner seems to be very proud of this achievement. We can see this from how he boasts "kan I maken oother folk to twynne/ From avarice, and soore to repente" and "A moral tale yet I yow tell kan,/ Which I am wont to preche". Thus, we see that the Pardoner does not see the seriousness of his sins, and

  • Word count: 1005
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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How appropriate is it that the character of the Pardoner tells the tale?

"How appropriate is it that the character of the Pardoner tells the tale?" The Pardoner is a sinner preaching about sin. He takes on the role of the priest in order to take money for himself. His relics and documents are all fake, which suggests that he is exploiting God. As a result, God has make him physically and sexually ambiguous, "This Pardoner hadde heer as yelow as wex, But smothe it heeng as dooth a strike of flex." This portrayal of the Pardoner adds irony to the tale, which is why it is appropriate for him to be telling the tale. On the other hand, the Pardoner is immoral and should not preach what he does not do himself, "Is al my preeching, for to make hem free To yeven hir pens, and namely unto me." He constantly pretends to be something he is not, "I stonde lyk a clerk in my pulpet". He also compares himself to a serpant, "Thus spitte I out my venym under hewe", which is a paradox as he has just compared himself to a dove. Therefore, his immorality can suggest that he is inappropriate to tell this tale. The pilgrims are blinded by his immorality and listen to his moral stories. He is attempting to show off his power of rhetoric to make himself appear to be above the pilgrims, "And in Latin I speke a wordes fewe, To saffron with my predicacioun, And for to stire hem to devocioun." He could be trying to convince the pilgrims that he is a priest as

  • Word count: 1826
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Analysis of lines 125 - 300 of The Merchant's Tale

The Merchant's Tale // In Depth Analysis [Lines 125 - 300] The themes explored in the extract, lines 125 - 300, are that of love, deception and honour; both in general, and involving friends and women, religion in order to support and undermine marriage, and the overall purpose of marriage. The extract shows the fabliau nature of 'The Merchant's Tale' and the positive images of love contradict everything the Merchant has written about until this point. The fact that he commends the conveniences of marriage from another man's point of view, Januarie, initially displays a change in heart from the Merchant about the whole idea of marriage. It is really the start of a heavily ironic piece of poetry. A comical picture of the complete obedience of women in lines 130 to 134 'She kepeth his good ... She seith nat ones 'nay'' recaptures the fact that Patient Grisilde's story mentioned a few lines previously in the poem, 'Bitwix Grisildis grete pacience', is likely to be very unrealistic. The Merchant seems to dramatise the section and a sense of ridicule is felt by the way he is describing the level of obedience shown by women. We know the Merchant does not trust women and so the few lines are clearly sarcastic. The Merchant's ability to write about women in a positive light in lines 145 - 149 and the implication that men should follow their 'wyves reed', their wives advise as they

  • Word count: 1829
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Themes and Ideas in The Merchant's Tale

Examine the opening of The Merchant's Tale, what themes / idea's does Chaucer concern himself with? The imagery in the general prologue tells Chaucer's audience the Merchant is skilled and wise 'full well his wit bisette' and Chaucer's use of language like 'forked berd' and 'in mottelee' not only portrays the Merchant in a precise way, but ensures that the readers think and feel the same way about the Merchant as Chaucer. In 'The Merchant's Tale' Chaucer concerns himself with many themes, amongst which are marriage, honesty, religion and women. The opening of the tale explores the Merchant's negative outlook on marriage and how bitterly he feels towards his wife 'I have a wyf, the worst that may be'. The initial impression given to the reader is that Chaucer believes marriage is mainly a man letting himself in for a life time of 'weeping and wailing' and Chaucer makes certain to the reader that if he had the chance to marry again, he wouldn't. Chaucer makes it very clear to the reader he is anti-feminist and implies he can tell more sorrow than a stabbed bachelor, due to his unhappiness throughout marriage. The Merchant claims talking about 'myn owene soore', is too upsetting, so continues to tell a story of a 'worthy knight.. a wyflees man was he'. This worthy knight, aged sixty begins to feel the desire for a wife however before this age was used to doing what he

  • Word count: 825
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Do you feel any sympathy for Januarie?

Wednesday, 26th March 2003 Jad Salfiti A2 English Literature, Poetry: The Merchant's Tale Do you feel any sympathy for Januarie? All humans are flawed and without these flaws we wouldn't be human. Contrary to common assumption Januarie is not merely a two-dimensional character used as a didactic device to demonstrate the importance of spiritual wealth and the innate immorality of the female species. Januarie is a multi-facetted character that like all humanity is imperfect. Januarie's shortcomings create a level of affinity between him and the reader, as a modern reader it is easy to relate to Januarie and sympathise with him, moreover the fact that Januarie seems to learn very little from his mistakes creates a comic affinity between him and the reader, Januarie embodies the view that ignorance is bliss. Januarie's pursuit of a wife and consequent marriage to Maye can be interpreted as a confession; an admission that in the end physical satisfaction cannot bridge a spiritual chasm "And folwed ay his bodily delyt, On women, ther as was his appetyt, As doon thise fooles that been seculeer". Throughout the Merchant's Tale circumlocution is used to argue the case for a 'wholesome' marital lifestyle as opposed to a 'sinful' hedonistic lifestyle, the reader is so engaged by the merchant's convolutions that the obvious bypasses us. Januarie is the man who could have

  • Word count: 877
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Select two or three portraits from the General Prologue and discuss Chaucer's use of variety of detail in comparing and contrasting characters.

Select two or three portraits from the General Prologue and discuss Chaucer's use of variety of detail in comparing and contrasting characters. It is obvious that what links the friar, prioress and the monk is that they are all members of the religious community and hence should be governed by strict rules of conduct according to their religion. But in all three characters we see their failing to do so. Hence in the General Prologue, they are presented as quite an unworthy trio, all of whom are not what they should be. Love is a key theme when comparing the trio, as love of themselves, material things and lovers are all hinted at throughout their descriptions. The Prioress's name is Elgentine, it means 'wild rose', and in Chaucer's period it was a fashionable name taken from courtly romance rather than from a saint. Therefore the name suggests sensual love already suggesting that she is not naïve but well aware of sexual passions. By not taking a saint's name she is neglecting the ideal of a Prioress and demonstrates that her mind is not totally devoted to her faith. As the name is fashionable, it reinforces the idea that she is yearning to be admired by others. It seems clear that she has a penchant for the more materialistic view because she should have asked herself 'what's in a name' and it seems that the reply she would have given would have been 'quite a lot'. Her

  • Word count: 2136
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Chaucer's Irony - The Canterbury Tales

Chaucer's Irony Irony is a vitally important part of The Canterbury Tales, and Chaucer's ingenious use of this literary device does a lot to provide this book with the classic status it enjoys even today. Chaucer has mastered the techniques required to skilfully put his points across and subtle irony and satire is particularly effective in making a point. The Canterbury Tales are well-known as an attack on the Church and its rôle in fourteenth century society. With the ambiguity introduced by the naïve and ignorant "Chaucer the pilgrim", the writer is able to make ironic attacks on characters and what they represent from a whole new angle. The differences in opinion of Chaucer the pilgrim and Chaucer the writer are much more than nuances - the two personas are very often diametrically opposed so as to cause effectual irony. In the Friar's portrait, he is delineated and depicted by riddles of contradictory qualities. Chaucer expertly uses ironic naiveté to highlight the Friar's lack of moral guilt. When the reader is told that the Friar, "knew the taverns wel in every toun" (l. 240), we can take it to mean that he spends very much time drinking, flirting and socialising in pubs. The Friar is superseded to be a holy man, but we see that he knew the landlords and barmaids much better than the people he has meant to be consoling, praying for and helping out of the

  • Word count: 1296
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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With reference to lines 91-112 and 163-290, how are the rivals Nicholas and Absalon presented to us by Chaucer in this section? Focus on Chaucer(TM)s use of language and detail to present this contrast?

With reference to lines 91-112 and 163-290, how are the rivals Nicholas and Absalon presented to us by Chaucer in this section? Focus on Chaucer's use of language and detail to present this contrast? Nicholas and Absalon become rivals in the Millers parody of the Knights tale, fighting for the love of the wife of the carpenter, Alison. The contrast between Absalon's vivacious character and appearance with Nicholas' cunning and quick- wittedness create two opposing characters to represent the aspects of courtly love, yet adapt it to create a comical parody. Chaucer makes clever use of language and diction through the presentation of his characters' actions and behaviour. He also uses the aid of his own opinion of his characters laid subtlety behind the Miller's views of the two rivals in his tale. The initial detail the reader receives about Absalon is his appearance, whereas in Nicholas' case it is the details of his room portraying his lifestyle, which revolves around the seduction of women. The only information we are given about Nicholas' appearance is 'lyk a maiden meek for to see' suggesting his girlish attractive looks, freshness and youth. In contrast, Absalon's looks and clothes are described in great detail to portray his vanity and flamboyancy. His 'Poules window corven on his shoes' draws focus to the intricate details of his appearance so that the reader is

  • Word count: 1614
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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