The Class Studied Middle English When We Read the Prologue to Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

1. Documents
2. Poetry

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THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES: CHAUCER'Due south REALISM: THE PROLOGUE As A Moving-picture show OF Gimmicky Society:

Literature reflects the tendencies of the age in which information technology is produced. There is always a smashing literary artist who becomes the mouthpiece of his age and gives expression to its hopes and intimate ideas in his works. Such an artist was Alexander Pope in the 17

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 century, the age of classicism, and such a poet was Alfred Tennyson in the Victorian Age, during the 19

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 Century. Pope faithfully represents his Age in his poems such equally "The Rape of the Lock". In The Rape of the Lock the poet directs his attention to the fashions of the ladies of fashion represented by Arabella Fermor. Like Pope, Tennyson was as the mouthpiece of the Victorian Gild, and represented the ideal traditions and hopes of the people. He reflected the fancies and sentiments of Victorian England. In the "Princess", the poet displayed i of the rising questions of the twenty-four hours—that of the higher education of society. Like Pope and Tennyson, Chaucer too represents his own Historic period and holds the mirror to the life of his fourth dimension. He is truly the social historian of England in the late 14

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 Century. His poetry reflects the fourteen

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 Century as a consummate whole. Other poets of his Age draw attending to merely certain express aspects of the time such as Wycliffe shows us the religious reformation; Gower the fearfulness produced in the wealthier class past the farmer rising; and Leyland the abuse in the church building. Each of these authors throws lite but on 1 aspect of the 14

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 Century life. It is Chaucer'southward greatness that he shows not one attribute of his time only, but all its wide and different faces of life. Chaucer gives us a straight view of reality and a true motion-picture show of daily life. Chaucer symbolizes the Center Ages. Just under the medievalism a trend of Renaissance is already at work. The poet stands on the dividing fashion linking himself with the old world that was passing away and the birth of the new age that was peeping at the horizon.

Realism:

Chaucer was a realist and he revealed the truth well-nigh life as he saw information technology. Before him, the writers were lost in the world of dreams and allegories. In his French Period, Chaucer as well was an allegorist, but in the English Menstruation he put away the dreamy allegory and came out with healthy observations virtually the life that he found unfolding earlier his optics. He had the Seeing Heart; the sharp memory and judgment. Thus his observations near his times are truthful and realistic. Chaucer'south realism comes out in the setting of The Canterbury Tales. The pilgrimage to the holy shrine by a group of pilgrims belonging to all classes of society except the elite, and the unruly crowd provide Chaucer a fitting world of 14

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 Century life. Chaucer gives us a evidence of real world people with their real follies and virtues. Chaucer gives the solid touch of realism in the portrayal of his characters. The minute and detailed manner in which each character is set forth in his dress, manner and behaviour, tends to realism. Each character, the Miller, the Reeve, the Cook and the Carpenter, by his ways, comments, narration and humour ads to the impression of realism that Chaucer seeks to present in the Canterbury Tales.

Chivalry:

Chaucer'due south poesy reflects the chivalric spirit of the Medieval Ages. The 14

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 Century was however in fascinating hold of chivalry and knighthood. In the prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer reflects the fading chivalry in the Eye Ages represented in the person of the Knight, and rising chivalry of his ain times reflected in his son, a young Squire. The old knight was a dauntless warrior. He had fought fifteen mortal battles all for the defense force of religion. He was the truthful symbol of the onetime earth of knighthood that was passing away giving place to a new formulation of knightly represented by his son the immature Squire, who in spite of his armed forces achievements, was a man of happy go lucky nature. The young Squire was hardly as sober and intelligent as was his begetter, the apotheosis of the one-time world of knightly. He was a knight of marry making. His knightly was more than luxurious and less idealistic temper of the age of not bad French war. He was not lost in the dreams of warfare like the knights of old, but he took delight in singing and playing upon the flute.

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 Political Conditions of the Time:

Chaucer realistically presented the political conditions of his times. He referred to the Peasant Defection in which bands of farmers armed with weapons turned out from villages and looted, burned and killed the aristocracy of the Historic period. This revolt is told in the Clerk's Tale and in the Nun's Tale. Chaucer had no dear and liking for the rebellion and hence in his works we accept few references to these popular movements of the people out for snatching power from the noble. The Canterbury Tales contain few references to the plague. His references to the agitations and the plague are coincidental. Chaucer wrote for the court and cultivated classes to whom the sufferings of the poor were a matter of consummate indifference. In Chaucer's presentations of the Carpenter, Dyer and Haberdasher, we meet the new ability that these commoners were getting at this fourth dimension.

Trade and Commerce:

The 14

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 Century was the historic period of ascent of the rich and prosperous merchants and tradesmen. They carried splendid business organization with European countries and were laying the foundations of England'southward industrial prosperity. Small traders and handicraftsmen grew in ability and began to bear like well-to-do citizens. The importance and self-consciousness of the smaller tradesmen increased with that of groovy merchants. The eye form people began to come into prominence and contested seats for parliament. Chaucer makes reference to the rise of traders and merchants during his time and his Merchant is the symbol of those merchants of that time.

 Medical Profession:

Chaucer's Doctor of Physic is an excellent pic of the medieval medicine man. He has herbal remedies and knowledge of astronomy and astrology. He is too a priest, but, Chaucer indicates that his medical studies accept drawn him abroad from his profession.

 Religious Conditions:

Chaucer tells u.s.a. most religious conditions of his times by creating the characters belonging to the church in the prologue. He does not directly points out the corruption among the clergymen of the times merely he certainly presents realistically the degeneration that had gear up in religious life of the times. The clergymen instead of devoting their time and energy to religious meditation and genuine salvation of fallen souls had given themselves upwardly to corruption and Epicureanism. The picture of the Clergy as presented by Chaucer is not at all encouraging. The monks had forgotten their original rule of poverty and labour. Chaucer's Monk is fatty and well-fed individual who is more than interested in hunting than in the performance of his religious duties. The Friar is a corrupt fellow and he knows all the town taverns and every inn keeper and bar-maid better than the ragamuffin-woman. The Franklin is all the same worse. He is a pleasure seeker and is pleased with drinking and fine eating. The Summoner, the Pardoner are traders in religion selling religious pardon to those who seek their approving for coin. Chaucer presents these religious figures of his times in their true coloures. Chaucer gives his platonic of a true clergyman in the figure of the Parson. The Parson is a learned man faithfully preaching Christ gospel. He is holy and virtuous.

Condition of Women:

Chaucer throws lite on the status of women of his times in the Prologue as well as in the Tales. Chaucer'south Tales contain biting attacks on women in keeping with the conventional attitude of men towards sex. In the Nun's Priest's Tale, Chaucer points out that a husband who follows the advice of his wife will come to grief. In the Prologue Chaucer has presented 3 ladies: The Prioress, a Nun, and the Wife of Bath. These ladies are good representatives of the women of his times.

Table Manners:

Chaucer also reveals the conditions of the inns of his times and the tabular array manners of the pilgrims. Nosotros gather from Chaucer that inns were situated at some distances and beer was also served in places other than these inns. There is likewise a discourse on table manners of the historic period in the Prologue. Each invitee brought his ain pocketknife, but for common use at that place were no forks. At the outset and end of dinner anybody washed his easily.

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 Honey for Brandish and Extravagance:

Chaucer represents faithfully the love for display, an extravagance in the upper and lower classes of fourteen

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Century life. This dearest for display is shown in several characters of the Prologue. The equus caballus of the Knight was decked with finery. The wife of Bath decked herself with kerchiefs and finery. The youthful Squire besides put on fine dresses.

The Spirit of New Learning:

Through the grapheme of the Clerk of Oxford Chaucer has presented the interest that people of his age started talking in classical writers. The new learning began to exist popular at this time, every bit tin can be seen in the case of the Clerk of Oxford

Conclusion:

In all these ways information technology can exist said unhesitatingly that Chaucer is the historian of his historic period and he reflects his century non in fragments but nigh completely. He heralds the birth of new humanism and the dawn of the Renaissance, and at the aforementioned fourth dimension he clearly brings earlier usa the traditions and conventions which his age had inherited from the Heart Ages.

Written and Composed By: Prof. A. R.Somroo Chiliad.A. Instruction, M.A.English. Cell: 03339971417

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Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/20248017/The-Prologue-to-the-Canterbury-Tales

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