1、1 Part III Geoffrey ChaucerThe Canterbury Tales Popular Ballads2I. Geoffrey ChaucerlGeoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 October 25, 1400) was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat courtier (朝臣朝臣), and diplomat. Although he wrote many works, he is best remembered for his unfinished frame narrative (

2、框架敘事框架敘事;框架敘述框架敘述) The Canterbury Tales. lSometimes called the father of English literature, Chaucer is credited by some scholars with being the first author to demonstrate the artistic legitimacy (合合法性法性; ;合理性合理性) of the vernacular English language, rather than French or Latin. 3Geoffrey Chaucer41.

3、Three periods of Chaucers literary activity Early Worksl(1) Early WorkslThe first period includes his early work (to 1370), which is based largely on French models, especially the Roman de la Rose and the poems of Guillaume de Machaut. Chaucers chief works during this time are the Book of the Duches

4、s, an allegorical (寓言的寓言的, , 諷喻的諷喻的) lament written in 1369 on the death of Blanche, wife of John of Gaunt, and a partial translation of the Roman de la Rose.5Three periods of Chaucers literary activity Italian Periodl(2) Italian PeriodlChaucers second period (up to c.1387) is called his Italian per

5、iod because during this time his works were modeled primarily on Dante and Boccaccio (薄伽丘薄伽丘). 6Three periods of Chaucers literary activity Italian PeriodlMajor works of the second period include The House of Fame, recounting the adventures of Aeneas after the fall of Troy; The Parliament of Fowls,

6、which tells of the mating of fowls on St. Valentines Day and is thought to celebrate the betrothal of Richard II to Anne of Bohemia; and a prose translation of Boethius (波埃修斯波埃修斯) De consolatione philosophiae ( (哲學的慰藉哲學的慰藉).).7Three periods of Chaucers literary activity Italian PeriodlAlso among the

7、 works of this period are the unfinished Legend of Good Women, a poem telling of nine classical heroines, which introduced the heroic couplet (two rhyming lines of iambic pentameter) into English verse; the prose fragment The Treatise on the Astrolabe, written for his son Lewis; and Troilus and Cris

8、eyde, based on Boccaccios Filostrato, one of the great love poems in the English language. In Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer perfected the seven-line stanza later called rhyme royal.8 rhyme royal( (皇家韻詩皇家韻詩; ;君王詩體君王詩體) )la form of verse introduced into English by Chaucer, consisting of seven-line sta

9、nzas of iambic pentameter (抑揚格五音步抑揚格五音步 ) in which there are three rhymes, the first line rhyming with the third, the second with the fourth and fifth, and the sixth with the seventh (rhyming ababbcc). 9 rhyme royal( (皇家韻詩皇家韻詩; ;君王詩體君王詩體) )lJames I of Scotland used rhyme royal for his poem The Kingi

10、s Quair (國王的詩書國王的詩書),), and it is believed that the name of the stanza derives from this royal use. lChaucer first used the rhyme royal stanza in his long poems Troilus and Criseyde and Parlement of Foules. Along with the couplet, it was the standard narrative metre in the late Middle Ages.10 rhyme

11、royal - exampleThe double sorwe of Troilus to tellen,That was the king Priamus sone of Troye,In lovinge, how his aventures fellenFro wo to wele, and after out of Ioye,My purpos is, er that I parte fro ye,Thesiphone, thou help me for tendyteThise woful vers, that wepen as I wryt11 rhyme royal - examp

12、leThey flee from me that sometime did me seekWith naked foot, stalking in my chamber.I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek,That now are wild and do not rememberThat sometime they put themself in dangerTo take bread at my hand; and now they range,Busily seeking with a continual change.12lThe most c

13、ommon meter in English verse.l It consists of a line ten syllables long that is accented (重讀重讀) on every second beat. It is a poetry pattern in which each line has 10 syllables, beginning with an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable, followed by another pair of unstressed and stressed syllabl

14、es, and so onuntil there are five pairs of syllables (or ten syllables in all) . iambic pentameter (抑揚格五音步抑揚格五音步 ) 13 iambic pentameter-an example l.I will not fail: tis twenty years till then. .I have forgot why I did call thee back. l -Romeo and Juliet 14Three periods of Chaucers literary activity

15、 The Canterbury Talesl(3)The Canterbury Tales lTo Chaucers final period, in which he achieved his fullest artistic power, belongs his masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales (written mostly after 1387). This unfinished poem, about 17,000 lines, is one of the most brilliant works in all literature. 152. Ma

16、jor works The Parliament of Fowls 鳥禽議會鳥禽議會The Books of the Duchess 悼公爵夫人悼公爵夫人Troilus and Criseyde 特羅伊拉斯和克萊希德特羅伊拉斯和克萊希德The Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷故事集坎特伯雷故事集The House of Fame 聲譽之堂聲譽之堂163. Chaucers InfluencelChaucer is known for metrical innovation, inventing the rhyme royal, and he was one of the first

17、English poets to use the five-stress line, the iambic pentameter. The arrangement of these five-stress lines into rhyming couplets (押韻兩行詩押韻兩行詩; ;押韻對押韻對 ), first seen in his Legend of Good Women, became one of the standard poetic forms in English. lHis early influence as a satirist is also important.

18、 17Chaucers InfluencelThe poetry of Chaucer, along with other writers of the era, is credited with helping to standardize the London Dialect of the Middle English language from a combination of the Kentish and Midlands dialects. This is probably overstated; the influence of the court, chancery ( (大法

19、官法庭大法官法庭) ) and bureaucracy (官僚體制；官僚系統官僚體制；官僚系統)of which Chaucer was a partremains a more probable influence on the development of Standard English.18II. The Canterbury Talesl Written sometime in the 1380s, The Canterbury Tales - the first selection of short stories in English - - is about a group o

20、f pilgrims who agree to tell stories while they travel together to Canterbury, the seat of the English Church (still Catholic) and the site of the shrine dedicated to Thomas a Beckett, who was martyred for his faith.lOriginally, he proposed 124 stories; he actually wrote 24. 20The Canterbury Tales v

21、ariety of medieval genres & superb characterization lThe pilgrims tales include a variety of medieval genres from the humorous fabliau （諷刺性寓言詩）（諷刺性寓言詩） to the serious homily（布道）（布道）, and they vividly indicate medieval attitudes and customs in such areas as love, marriage, and religion. lThrough Chau

22、cers superb powers of characterization the pilgrimssuch as the earthy wife of Bath, the gentle knight, the worldly prioress ( (大女修道院副院長大女修道院副院長, , 小女修道院院長小女修道院院長),), the evil summoner ( (法院傳票送達員法院傳票送達員) ) come intensely alive. 21The Canterbury Tales Subject matterlSubject matter: lsex, lust, greed,

23、jealousy, native cunning (tricksters 騙子騙子, , 魔術師魔術師), the credulousness (輕信輕信, , 老實老實) of the stupid, marital problems, infidelity, corruption of the church.22The Canterbury Tales frame narrative lThe idea of a frame story (story within a story) comes from a long tradition: The Arabian Nights ( (天方夜

24、譚天方夜譚/ /一千零一夜一千零一夜) ) and The Decameron （十日談十日談）. . Chaucer read The Decameron when he visited Italy.23The Canterbury Tales frame narrativelA frame story (also frame tale, frame narrative, etc.) employs a narrative technique whereby an introductory main story is composed, at least in part, for the p

25、urpose of setting the stage (設置舞臺布景或設置舞臺布景或場所場所) for a fictitious (虛構的；想象的虛構的；想象的) narrative or organizing a set of shorter stories, each of which is a story within a story. The frame story leads readers from the first story into the smaller one within it.24The Canterbury Tales frame narrativelSome

26、novels such as Mary Shelleys Frankenstein (1818) and Emily Bronts Wuthering Heights (1847) employ a narrative structure in which the main action is relayed at second hand through an enclosing (包含的，包含的，圈起的圈起的) frame story.25Canterbury CathedrallCanterbury Cathedral is one of the oldest and most famou

27、s Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site. It is the Cathedral of the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury, the Primate (首席主教，大主教首席主教，大主教) of all England and religious leader of the Church of England. lThe Cathedral is currently in a major fundraising drive to raise a mi

28、nimum of 50 million to fund restoration.26272829Thomas Becketl(St.) Thomas Becket, St. Thomas of Canterbury (c. 1118 December 29, 1170) was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Church. He engaged in a con

29、flict with King Henry II over the rights and privileges of the Church and was assassinated by followers of the king in Canterbury Cathedral. 30Thomas Becket31Thomas Becket Candle32The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (1)lThe Book of One Thousand and One Nights (also known as The Arabian Nights) i

30、s a collection of stories compiled over thousands of years by various authors, translators and scholars. These collections of tales trace their roots back to Ancient Arabia and Ancient Persia. Though an original manuscript has never been found several versions date the collections genesis to somewhe

31、re between AD 800-900. 33The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (2)lWell known stories from The Nights include Aladdin, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. lThe main frame story concerns a king and his new bride. The king, Shahryar (沙亞爾沙亞爾), upon discovering

32、his former wifes infidelity had her executed and then declared all women to be unfaithful. He begins to marry a succession of virgins only to execute each one the next morning. Eventually the vizier （大臣（大臣) cannot find any more virgins.34The Book of One Thousand and One Nights (3)lScheherazade (,hrz

33、:d 山魯佐德山魯佐德) , the viziers daughter, offers herself as the next bride and her father reluctantly agrees. On the night of their marriage, Scheherazade tells the king a tale, but does not end it. The king is thus forced to keep her alive in order to hear the conclusion. The next night, as soon as she

34、finishes the tale, she begins (and only begins) another. So it went for 1,001 nights. 35The Decameron (1)lThe Decameron is a collection of 100 novellas by Italian author Giovanni Boccaccio, probably begun in 1350 and finished in 1353. It is a medieval allegorical work. Many notable writers such as S

35、hakespeare and Chaucer are said to have borrowed from The Decameron.36The Decameron (2)lThe Decameron is structured in a frame narrative, or frame tale. Boccaccio begins with a description of the Black Death and leads into an introduction of a group of seven young women and three young men who flee

36、from plague-ridden Florence to a villa in the (then) countryside of Fiesole for two weeks. To pass the time, each member of the party tells one story for each one of the nights spent at the villa. 37The Decameron (3)lAlthough fourteen days pass, two days each week are set aside: one day for chores a

37、nd one holy day during which no work is done. In this manner, 100 stories are told by the end of the ten days. But the stories are loosely connected and there is no relation between the story and the story teller.38III. The General Prologue first of its kind lThe General Prologue is a splendid maste

38、rpiece of realistic portrayal, the first of its kind in the history of English literature. The conceit of the poem, as set out in the 858 lines of Middle English which make up the general prologue, is that of a religious pilgrimage. lChaucer is in the Tabard Inn, in Southwark, where he meets a motle

39、y crew of middle-class folk from various parts of England. Coincidentally, they are all on the way to Canterbury, the site of the Shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. 39The General Prologue realistic portrayal of pilgrimslThe pilgrims are people from various parts of England, representatives of various wa

40、lks of life and social groups, with various interests, tastes and predilections (嗜好嗜好, , 偏好偏好). In the Prologue, Chaucer seeks to describe their condition, their array (穿著穿著; ;打扮打扮), and their social degree: 40The General Prologue social orderlThe order in which the pilgrims are introduced places th

41、em in a social order, placing the nobility in front, the craftsmen in the middle, and the peasants at the end. A canon ( (在大教堂中任職的教士在大教堂中任職的教士) ) and his yeoman later join the pilgrimage and tell one of the tales. 41The General Prologue Estates SatirelWhile the genre of the Canterbury Tales as a who

42、le is a frame narrative, the General Prologue constitutes an example of Estates (社會階層社會階層; ; 社會等級社會等級) Satire, a genre that satirizes the corruption that occurs within the three medieval social estates (clergy, nobility, and peasantry). 42The General Prologue basis for Chaucers mirror of societylThe

43、 General Prologue is the basis for Chaucers mirror of society. The idea that there are so many characters with their own stories to tell is representative of a real society.43The General Prologue written in the heroic couplet (英雄雙韻體英雄雙韻體; ;英雄雙行體英雄雙行體)lThe prologue and most of the stories are written

44、 in the heroic couplet, i. e. a pair of rhyming iambic pentameter lines.lA frequently-cited example illustrating the use of heroic couplets is this passage from Coopers Hill by John Denham, part of his description of the Thames:O could I flow like thee, and make thy streamMy great example, as it is

45、my theme!Though deep, yet clear, though gentle, yet not dull,Strong without rage, without oerflowing full.44The General Prologue written in the heroic coupletlHeroic Couplet refers to lines of iambic pentameter which rhyme in pairs: aa, bb, cc, and so on. The adjective “heroic” was applied in the la

46、ter seventeenth century because of the frequent use of such couplets in heroic poems and dramas. lThis verse form was introduced into English poetry by Geoffrey Chaucer. From the age of John Dryden through that of Samuel Johnson, the heroic couplet was the predominant English measure (韻律韻律;音步音步) for

47、 all the poetic kinds; some poets, including Alexander Pope, used it almost to the exclusion of other meters. 45IV. Popular Ballads a form of verse, often a narrative set to musiclA ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poe

48、try and song of the British Isles from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many ballads were written and sold as single sheet broadsides (海報海報).46Popular Ballads Traditional poetic form of ballads Nor

49、mally a short narrative arranged into four line stanzas with a memorable meter. lTypical ballad meter is a first and third line with four stresses (iambic tetrameter) and then a second and fourth line with three stresses (iambic trimeter). lThe rhyme scheme is typically abab or abcb. lOften uses col

50、loquialisms to enhance the story telling (and sometimes to alter the rhyme scheme). lA ballad is usually meant to be sung or recited in musical form and usually has a refrain(副歌副歌; ;迭句迭句; ;反反復句復句). 47Popular Ballads the best-known user lEmily Dickinson is probably the best-known user of ballad metre

51、, because it is so common in her poetry, especially in her best-known pieces: lBecause/ I could /not stop / for Death,lHe kind/ly stopped/ for me;lThe Ca/rriage held / but just / OurselveslAnd Im/morta/lity.l from Emily Dickinsons poem #71248Popular Ballads Origin and development of balladslThough t

52、he English ballads were probably composed during the 500 years period from 1300 to 1700, few of them were printed before the 18th and some not until the 19th centuries. The majority of the ballads, however, date to the 17th and 18th centuries; although some probably have very ancient influences, onl

53、y a handful can be definitively traced to before 1600. Moreover, few of the tunes collected are as old as the words. 49Popular Ballads Border balladslBorder ballads are a subgenre of folk ballads collected in the area along the Anglo-Scottish border, especially those concerned with border reivers (搶

54、奪者搶奪者; ; 掠奪者掠奪者) and outlaws(反叛者反叛者; ;亡命之徒亡命之徒), or with historical events in the Borders. In the numerous border ballads the age-long struggle between the Scots and the English is reflected.50Popular Ballads Types of balladslThere are various kinds of ballads, historical, legendary, fantastical, ly

55、rical and humorous.51Popular Ballads Subjects typical to many balladslromance, supernatural experiences, historical events, morality, riddles, murder, and folk heroes. On one extreme, some recount identifiable historical people, in known events. On the other, some differ from fairy tales solely by t

56、heir being songs and in verse; some have been recast in prose form as fairy tales. Of paramount importance are the beautiful ballads about Robin Hood and those about King Arthur. A few ballads are rather bawdy (低級下流的；猥褻低級下流的；猥褻的的). 52Robin Hood a legendary English outlaw of the 12th centuryla legend

57、ary English outlaw of the 12th century, hero of many ballads, who robbed the rich to give to the poor: a popular model of courage, generosity and justice, as well as of skill in archery. lHe lived in Sherwood Forest with the fair Maid Marian, the stout Little John, the priest Friar Tuck, the musicia

58、n Allan-a-Dale, and others who helped him rob rich landlords and thwart ( (反對反對; ; 阻撓阻撓; ;挫敗挫敗) ) his chief enemy, the sheriff of Nottingham.lCf. Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang 53BBC Robin Hood54Maid Marian55Little John56Muchthe Millers

59、son57The Sheriff58Robin Hood Sherwood Forest and NottinghamshirelHis band consists of seven score (140) group of fellow outlawed yeomen called his Merry Men. Robin Hood and his bands tales are usually associated with the area Sherwood Forest and Nottinghamshire, though most historians point towards

60、him having been a Yorkshireman. He has been the subject of numerous movies, books, comics and plays.59Robin Hood continually reshaped and redrawnlRobin Hood stories are different in every period of their history. Robin is continually reshaped and redrawn, made to exemplify those values deemed import