An Interpretation of Chaucer's "Dream Vision" Narrative Frame

Joe Bohn ENG-336W Prof. Tisdale An Interpretation of Chaucer's "Dream Vision" Narrative Frame When thinking of dreams, we often consider their perplexities. Often, they are filled with metaphors and unrealistic images. As in Geoffrey Chaucer's "dream visions," they often seem discontinuous, ending as if by the result of some external force like the unexpected sound of an alarm clock. In Chaucer's "dream visions," we recognize elements of our own dreams: the juxtaposition of seemingly unrelated images and events, and fantastic journeys, and as in our own dreams, Chaucer's narrator is merely an extension of himself pondering his own identity and the mysteries of life. One may find that his "dream visions" are difficult to interpret, but aren't our own dreams hard to interpret as well? Are they not also naught more than "dream visions?" In the fantastic poetic landscape of Chaucer's "dream visions," non-human entities such as animals frequently speak, allegorically assuming personas. This occurs in The Parliament of Fouls, when the narrator witnesses various species of birds congregating in a stratified fashion on Valentine's Day to choose their mates. This also occurs in The House of Fame, when the narrator finds himself in conversation with a giant eagle, which seems to have a strikingly familiar voice, perhaps the voice of his own conscience. At times, the fantastic

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Geoffrey Chaucer: The Nun's Priest's Tale - Write About The Ways In Which Chaucer Presents Chauntecleer's Dream?

Domenico Clores English Homework Mrs. Best - Essay Geoffrey Chaucer: The Nun's Priest's Tale Write About The Ways In Which Chaucer Presents Chauntecleer's Dream? In the Nun's priest's tale, the denizens of the widow's barnyard, in particular Chauntecleer and Pertelote are used to poke fun at very human sorts of behavior. The rooster's dream is significant as it and the discussion that follows takes up much of the tale itself. The focus is not on the action (Chauntecleer's capture by the fox) but on who is correct. Is Chauntecleer's position on dreams correct or is Pertelote's? The extensive discussion of the dream steers the story away from the "moral" of Chauntecleer's vanity. Chaucer uses numerous diverse techniques in-order to present chauntecleer's dream to the audience; I feel that he presents his dreams very successfully. For instance in the opening line, the use of a discourse marker is extremely effective, 'and so bifel', it immediately catches the readers attention. 'Bifel', meaning 'it happened', and so the audience ask themselves, 'what happened?' Furthermore, in line 5 and 6, the use of alliteration helps empathize that chauntecleer is somewhat distressed, slightly troubled. For example, 'gan gronen' and followed, ' dreem is drecched'. Several times in the passage, Chaucer refers to religion; he uses the word, 'God', as part of his sentence or in order to

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Discuss differences in effect and structure created by the first-person narration in Dante's The Inferno, and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

Discuss differences in effect and structure created by the first-person narration in Dante's The Inferno, and Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Dante completed The Inferno, the first part of his epic redemptive poem The Divine Comedy, around 1314. This date could technically fall under the label of the Renaissance, but it was at a very early stage and the humanistic revival of art and culture had yet to reach anywhere near the full impact it would later achieve. Dante did not live to see the widespread influence of humanism and its effect on the world of literature, although there is much evidence in Dante's writing of humanistic inclinations. Humanism literally means 'the study of man' and can be conceived of as an awakening of the self, both in its personal application and in the social and political implications on Renaissance-era European society. Until the Renaissance began to establish itself over the course of the fourteenth century, European citizens had very much regarded themselves as part of a collective cultural or political way of thinking. The introduction of philosophy, art, literature, poetry and increasingly well-defined systems of morality gave many Europeans a feeling of liberation and the confidence to explore their individuality. It was encouraged to study classic literature, as well as all other forms of art that liberate the mind. Of course, it was to be a

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Fragmentation in T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land.

Verity Radley Fragmentation in T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land. T.S. Eliot wrote The Waste Land in 1921, as a response to the devastation he saw in society in the wake of World War 1. Critics at the time were divided: some believed it to be deliberately obtuse and unreadable, others "canonized the poem as the exemplar of a kind of high modernism that powerfully depicts and rejects modern life. One aspect of the poem that has never been disputed is the fragmentation that exists within it, and it is this that I intend to concentrate my essay on. Eliot, though he never openly chose to admit it, was influenced by the Imagist group of poets (which included Eliot close friend, Ezra Pound), who practised the theory that art should be made up of Images, not a lengthy description of feelings: one of the most important beliefs about art that Eliot shared with the Imagists was that "the writer should only present his observations to the reader, for he, like them, is a limited finite being."1 The emotion that the writer about a subject should not be the basis for the poem, only exactly what he sees, his immediate reaction to an event. In some of Eliot's earlier work, he showed evidence of Imagist tendencies: In The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock, for example, the famous line "Like a patient etherized upon a table," is an Image; the poet's immediate reaction unclouded by emotion. In The Waste

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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How Is The Character Of Absolon Presented In The Miller's Tale?

How Is The Character Of Absolon Presented In The Miller's Tale? The descriptions of Absolon in 'The Miller's Tale' portray him as a character that in many ways contrasts the characters of Nicholas and John the carpenter but he also plays a key role in making the tale a traditional fabliau and There are many references that show Absolon to be very conscious of his appearance, therefore making him seem very effeminate, for example, 'his heer...strouted as a fanne large and brode'. This reference, and the fact that Absolon combs his hair before going to attempt to woo Alison shows us that he is proud of his curled and golden hair with a splendid parting. This is described to compliment his rosy complexion and eyes 'greye as goos'. In addition to these relatively effeminate descriptions, there are frequent references which mention Absolon and his attire being 'ful smal and properly', 'fetisly' and elegant, for example, his 'gay surplis' is unusual because in Church the dress would be relatively simple, therefore it advertises his vivacity. Also, Absolon's shoes are described as having complex woven patterns in them, resembling St Paul's window, indicating that they are lavish and therefore, Absolon is keen to keep up with current fashions. This almost absurd preoccupation with dress contrasts Absolon greatly with secretive Nicholas, who seems much less intent on

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Canterbury General Information.

Canterbury General Information England's most famous cathedral city, Canterbury sits in one of the most attractive corners of rural Kent and has been welcoming visitors for over 2000 years. The city is easy to reach by road, rail, air and sea. With part of the city designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, Canterbury today is a delightful mixture of architecture, history, arts and culture, museums, shops of every description, visitor attractions and good restaurants and pubs. The City has been a significant player in England's history since its beginnings as the Roman settlement of Duovernum. It was to Canterbury that Augustine came in AD597, sent from Rome to bring Christianity to England. Ruins of the abbey he founded, now an English Heritage site, stand just outside the city walls in Longport. Along with the cathedral and England's oldest parish church of St Martin, St Augustine's Abbey makes up the city's World Heritage Site. U.K ON FOOT Guided tours operated by the Canterbury Guild of Guides leave daily from the Canterbury Visitor Information Centre. To find it, follow the black and gold signposts. Groups please telephone: 01227 459779. BY BICYCLE Canterbury has a network of safe cycle routes, all of which connect with the city centre. For the more adventurous, there are signposted long-distance cycle routes along country lanes - one towards Dover and one

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Geoffrey Chaucher's The Canterbury Tales - The Wife of Bath.

Jessica Moran June 8, 2004 ENG 305 Dr. Mullally Essay 1 In Geoffrey Chaucher's The Canterbury Tales, The Wife of Bath is character that argues the virtues of marriage and what it means to be a wife. It is very clear to see that the Wife of Bath is in constant struggle for Female Equality. We have to remember that in the time Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, the social structure was incredibly different than it is today. Women in that time lead lives of subservience and even oppression by their husbands. The job in life was simply to please their husbands and serve their husbands. In the very beginning of the Wife of Bath's Prologue, we learn about her unique life. The first thing she tells us is that she is an authority on marriage. She state: "Experience, though noon auctoritee Were in this world, were right ynogh to me To speke of wo that is in marriage; For, lordynges, sith I twelf yeer was of age, Thonked by God, that is eterne on lyve, Housbondes at chirche dore I have had five(Chaucer 1-6 WOB). These lines are important for two reasons. First she explains that she has been married since the age of twelve; which in today's culture is unheard of and then she says she has been married five times. These are important because they give her creditability because we see that she has spent more than half of her life being married. I think it is very

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Literature and Dissent in the Age of Chaucer

55KJ Literature and Dissent in the Age of Chaucer Essay 1. Q1. "[Chaucer's] method of communicating [the] impact and importance of [the events of his day] was indirect, whether because of temperament, or the political caution needful to someone of his rank and position, or because of a deliberate choice concerning the materials appropriate to high-literary vernacular poetry" (Pearsall) In light of this comment, write an essay on Chaucer's responses to contemporary political and religious practices, and to the groups or institutions with which they were associated. You should refer to the general prologue to the Canterbury Tales in your answer, but need not confine your discussion to this text. Tutor : Stephen Penn 0016861 It can be seen within Chaucer's writing that the politics and religions of his day are important factors behind the ideology with which he engages in the work of the Canterbury tales. This we can see clearly. The manner in which Chaucer embraces such historical events of his day, however is somewhat indirect. As a result this has raised questions among Chaucer theorists as to why he should be so oblique about this aspect of his work. We can see this in Pearsall's statement: "Chaucer's method of communicating the impact and importance of the events of his day was indirect, whether because of temperament, or the political caution needful to someone of

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Chaucer's Depiction of the Clergy.

Omar Hernandez Teresa Gibson English 2332 July 2, 2003 Chaucer's Depiction of the Clergy In the poem, by Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Prologue, Chaucer depicts the people of the church and describes them as people who are not the sole embodiment of people who have sworn themselves to God, and to live by the four vows that the church requires them to commit themselves to. Men and women of the church are expected to live in poverty and hold no worldly possessions. The Prioress spoke of owning little dogs, which is strictly prohibited in a convent, and treating them exceptionally well and being extremely attached to them. By owing these dogs she violated the vow of poverty but the most apparent item that she owns is a gold broche that and leads the reader to believe that she was not entirely devoted to the church. Chaucer spent a great deal of time explaining how she was extremely obsessed with her etiquette, that hints to the reader that she is more suited to be a beloved lady rather than a nun. In the days of Chaucer, women used excellent etiquette to attract and keep lovers. This indicates that the Prioress in not completely faithful to her vow of chastity, but rather a woman of promiscuity. The vow of obedience, in reference to the Prioress, is probably the most odd vow of the four, since he never mentions it. While Chaucer is describing the

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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Compare and Contrast Two of the Pilgrims and State Which You Prefer and Why. What do we learn from medieval England?

Compare and Contrast Two of the Pilgrims and State Which You Prefer and Why. What do we learn from medieval England? Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories in a frame story, between 1387 and 1400. It is the story of a group of thirty people who travel as pilgrims to Canterbury. The pilgrims tell stories to each other to kill time while they travel to Canterbury. Chaucer intended that each pilgrim should tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two tales on the way back and the winner got a free meal. In the general prologue we meet the Prioress who is shy and modest. Her real name is Madame Eglentyne and is one of the most fully described pilgrims. As you read down the page he talks about her portrait being more concerned with how she eats than how she prays. He describes her as "She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle, Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe; Wel joude she sarie a morsel and wel kepe That no drope ne fille upon hire brest." He is saying that she never let a crumb fall from her mouth and that she never got her fingers dirty when dipping things in her sauce. After he says that her greatest pleasure is in etiquette - "In curteisie was set ful muchel hir lest" The nun is rather too kind to animals, while there is no mention of her kindness to people. "She was so charitable and so pitous She wolde wepe, if that she saugh

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  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Linguistics, Classics and related subjects
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