QUESTIONS
Geoffrey Chaucer
1. How many phases is his poetry generally divided into?
2. In what language was The Canterbury Tales written?
3. Why is this important?
4. What event typical of English medieval society frames the novel?
5. Do his characters mirror a particular social class as in Boccaccio’s Decameron or do they represent a heterogeneous society?
6. Who are they representative of?
7. What characterizes Chaucer’s language and style?
8. In which period did G. Chaucer live?
9. Why are Chaucer’s travels to Italy important?
10. Why is Chaucer considered a revolutionary poet?
11. What is his masterpiece?
12. What are his minor works?
13. What is the narrative framework of the Canterbury Tales?
14. What are the links between the story tellers in the Tales and social classes in medieval society?
15. Describe the Prioress
16. Describe the Wife of Bath
17. What themes are connected with these two characters?
18. In which language was the Canterbury Tales written?
19. What was Chaucer’s purpose in writing these tales?
20. What is the typical event that he used as a framework for his work?
21. How many pilgrims were there?
22. Which social classes did they come from?
23. Which three main groups did they belong to?
24. When and where did they meet before leaving for Canterbury?
25. What people did Chaucer turn to for inspiration in describing them?
26. How is each pilgrim considered and described?
27. What does Canterbury symbolize?
28. Is there a connection between spring and the pilgrimage?
29. What part of the English society did Chaucer want to portray?
30. What is new in the description of the characters?
31. What is the function of the names and professions of the characters?
32. Which medieval narrative genres did Chaucer exploit?
33. What is the function of the narrator in this work?