Comedy in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales: ‘Moral’ Pilgrims and the Stories They Tell

Type :

Presentation

Pages :

6 pages

Format :

.doc

Published date :

05/22/2008

Category :

Philosophy & literature

Sub category :

Literature

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Summary :

Introduction
The fabliau plot in the Miller's tale
The lover's role
Nicholas' alleged astrological education
The two clerks seeking lodging in the miller's house
Conclusion
Bibliography

Abstract

Viewed in a certain light, chaucer's canterbury tales offers a realistic slice of life from a diverse cross section of fourteenth century English society. Represented among the travelers are members of all three estates, the church, nobility and peasantry, as well as the middle class, bourgeoisie, and various professionals . Yet, upon close reading of the tales, one sees that life as these medievals would have lived is warped when read through chaucer's lens. In the Miller's Tale and the Reeve's Tale, sentiments of piety one would expect of a group of pilgrims on their way to canterbury are nowhere to be found; rather, the prevailing attitude of the characters within these two tales is one of total amorality. As Derek Pearsall argues, In religious tales and saints' legends, [a] self-transcending system of values operates, in this case proving the significance of life through the demonstration of its ultimate insignificance in relation to life eternal. comedy sets all this aside, and asserts that there are no values, secular or religious, more important than survival and the satisfaction of appetite.