"The Canterbury Tales"

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how Chaucer lived in the complex social situation that was fourteenth century England and shows how "The Canterbury Tales" is written through a particular lens. The paper analyzes the female characters that Chaucer presents in light of his personal bias. The paper demonstrates how "The Canterbury Tales" were written to entertain a medieval audience and asserts that we should only relate to them as an indication as to what English society was like.

From the Paper:

"Certainly, the women of "The Canterbury Tales" can be, to some extent, understood simply through the way Chaucer intends to present them; but Chaucer's very conception of what a woman is can also be utilized as a method toward grasping the essential role of women in medieval society. Chaucer, as a member of the dominant culture in medieval Europe--wealthy men--necessarily creates and describes his female characters in terms of their relationship to specific archetypes. Yet, in this respect, Chaucer is exceedingly innovative--for his time--regarding the creation of all his characters: each character is, in a way, held up to the ideal model of what it means to be a monk, a friar, a prioress, or a knight, and shown to somehow diverge from their associated epitome."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. New York: Penguin, 2003.
• De Beauvoir, Simone. The Second Sex. New York: Vintage, 1989.
• Gardner, Patrick and Miriam. SparkNote on The Canterbury Tales. 15 Aug. 2006 <http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/>.
• Hallett, Nicky. "Women." From A Companion to Chaucer. Edited by Peter Brown. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000. Pages 480-494.
• Halliday, F. E. Chaucer and His World. New York: The Viking Press, 1968.

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