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1、CHAPTER 2Geoffrey Chaucer & The Canterbury TalesSelected Readings in British Literature1.Background (Anglo-Norman, 1066-1400)A.1066, Norman Conquest (the conquest of England by the French-speaking Normans)a)The year of which the Normans came under William the Conqueror, and the last Anglo-Saxon King
2、 Harold died with an arrow shot through his eye at the battle of Hastings.b)The year 1066 also marked the beginning of the Middle English, or we say, the Anglo-Norman period. c) The Norman line of kings sat on the throne for some 90 years and then gave place to the Angevin kings (or the Plantangenet
3、s) in 1154. King Henry II and his descendants stayed in power for 245 years until they were superseded (replaced) by the House of Lancaster in 1399 when the last of the Plantangenets, Richard II, was dethroned. This happened just one year before Geoffrey Chaucer died.B. Major historical events in th
4、is perioda) The Establishment of the Feudal System: William the Conqueror grabbed Anglo-Saxon land by force and gave it to his nobles and followers. The hierarchy was a multi-tiered degradation with the king at the top keeping all the power in his hands. This relative peace brought power and wealth
5、and created a congenial environment for the growth of art and literature.b) The Launching of the Crusades: This was a series of wars between Christians and the Muslims that lasted for about 170 years (1096-1270).c) The War with France or the Hundred Years War (1337-1453): Britain first won at Crecy
6、and Agincourt, but was in the end driven out. That was the point at which the Norman nobles began to see England as their only home, Norman and Anglo-Saxon elements began to combine into one nation, and then the English language started to revive.2. Medieval LiteratureMedieval literature is noted fo
7、r its vast number of romances, which deal with heroes rather than common life.1. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Unknown author; Extol Sir Gawain and his knightly virtues of loyalty, valor, rectitude, and integrity; Shares quite a few basic features with Beowulf, line structure and use of alliterat
8、ion.2. Robin Hood: A collection of 15th-century medieval ballads about Robin Hood, the hero of the poor, and the enemy of the rich and the powerful; The ballads reveal the cruel reality of medieval life with its gross injustice and its underlying discontent as well as the aspiration of the poor; The
9、y are many in number, complex and intriguing in plot interest, and each and all self-sustaining(自成一体)； Basic features such as repetition of words, uniform in mood, and dramatic in plot or character portrayal. 3.Geoffrey ChaucerGeoffrey Chaucer:a)1340-1400;b)“Father of English Literature” - the first
10、 preeminent English poet in history and ranks with Shakespeare as the most popular and most widely read of all poets today;c) The greatest English poet of the Middle Age, one of the major influences on writer of later generations not only in England but also across the world;d)First poet to be burie
11、d in Poets Corner in Westminster Abbey.Life of Chaucer:a)Eventful life;b)Born into a prosperous London vintners family and received a very solid education;c)He could speak most of the important languages of the day - French, Latin, and Italian, and was widely learned.d)Became a page(侍从) to a princes
12、 wife when he was still a boy, and remained in the service of the royal household for quite a few years;e)Marriage with one of the queens maids brought him wealth and more royal favor;f)Served as diplomat, controller of the customs, a justice of the peace, and knight of the shire for Kent at differe
13、nt phases of life. The last job he held was a civil servant(人民公仆).The colourful experience with life and people paved the way for his writing career. Although not a professional writer, Chaucer wrote profusely and won the admiration of his contemporaries.Chaucer was the first most significant poet i
14、n English literary history to write in Middle English. The evolution of the English language would have been different if Chaucer had not lived to help perfect it as a literary medium. His Works: The Canterbury Tales The Book of Duchess The House of Fame The Parliament of Fowls The Legend of Good Wi
15、fe4. The Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesThe Most Famous of All Chaucers Works;A collection od 20 odd(零散的) stories;The framing of the stories - a fictitious pilgrimage, which was common in medieval times;Set out with an ambitious plan: altogether 30 travelers on the pilgrimage, each tells 4 stor
16、ies on the way there and back, thus it would bring the total up to 120 stories;However, in fact, the book contains only 20 complete stories and 4 fragments, which is already an amazing number;Sources of the stories: the French sources, the Italian, the biblical, the Asian and folklore.It should be n
17、oted that, though Chaucer absorbs substance from other sources, the telling is always, ultimately, entirely Chaucers own.Apparent features of Chaucers narration: enormous sense of humour; loyalty to reality; infinite sense of humanity.The appealing story-telling gives readers the impression that as
18、if Chaucer is speaking to them. Indeed, to some extent, Chaucer reminds his readers of the fact that humans are essentially the same despite their temporal and spatial discrepancies, and that human nature never changes much, with its time-honoured(历史悠久的) weaknesses and vices that make people what they are - human. Therefore, when you read into the lines, you will find a lot of thing in common between the Medieval characters and people nowadays.