Before reading each individual tale, read the corresponding snippet in the Prologue. Read the introduction and conclusion of the General Prologue, but skip over the “snippets” about each character.Chaucer was keenly interested in the role of women and what it meant for a woman to have sovereignty in marriage or in the culture at large. For example, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” “The Clerk’s Tale,” and “The Franklin’s Tale” all wrestle with the marriage debate. Look for tales that share a common theme.In reading each tale consecutively, the reader can see how each character tries to outdo the previous one and get a sense of how everything often becomes completely out of the host’s control. All seems lovely and well, and then the Miller speaks next, telling a filthy fabliau. The first tale, “The Knight’s Tale,” is a romance. Many tales serve as a response to the previous tale. Develop a strategy for reading the Tales-Jackson offered some other ideas for approaching the work:.Just as Chaucer mixes stories from other authors, he mixes genres within The Canterbury Tales-romance, fabliau, beast fable, and Boethian elements-further proof of his literary genius. “If you don’t know this background, you’re missing out on Chaucer’s artistry and genius,” Jackson said. Chaucer combines both versions into his own story. For example, in “The Clerk’s Tale,” Chaucer takes the story of Griselda from Petrarch, who had taken the story from Boccaccio and rewritten it. They did this through the use of source texts-texts the author would have with him-and analog texts-stories the author knew from memory. Rather, to demonstrate their literary prowess, they took existing stories and crafted something new by adding to them, abridging them, or arranging them in unique ways. In 14th-century England, authors didn’t create their own stories, according to Jackson. Understand the place of source texts and analogs.Furthermore, to understand some of the cultural references in The Canterbury Tales, such as physiognomy-the practice of interpreting a person’s character from their face-as well as to understand what the various estates (occupations, such as the Miller, the Reeve, etc.) represented in this work did, Jackson recommended several resources: The Oxford Guide to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, and Historians on Chaucer.

Such masterful uses of language pepper Chaucer’s entire work. In another sense, the rebirth and renewal of spring has awakened the carnal desires of some pilgrims they are looking for sensual edification on their journeys. Jackson used one sentence from the prologue as an example: “So priketh him nature in hir corages.” In one sense, the onset of spring has awakened in the pilgrims’ hearts a longing for spiritual edification. In Chaucer’s time, language was very playful, and words had double meanings. Develop an understanding of 14th-century English language and culture.Jackson recommended using The Riverside Chaucer, which contains all of the poet’s works as well as pronunciation guides and scholarly notes, and the Penguin edition of The Canterbury Tales, edited by Jill Mann. While reading the original text may seem daunting, readers can easily get the hang of it within two weeks. There’s a musicality in reading Middle English, according to Jackson. Read the work in its original Middle English.In a presentation at the Barney Charter School Initiative’s summer teacher training sessions, Hillsdale College Professor of English Justin Jackson offered ideas for approaching the teaching and reading of The Canterbury Tales, so that students can, at the very least, develop an appreciation for this important work. At the same time, its archaic language makes it one of the most feared classics among students. Without a doubt, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales endures as a masterpiece of English literature. Professor of English Justin Jackson offers tips for teaching Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

Canterbury tales in middle english