Scarica JOHN WYCLIFFE and GEOFFREY CHAUCER e più Schemi e mappe concettuali in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! JOHN WYCLIFFE The most active opponent of the interference of Rome in English affairs->father of Protestantism and Anglicanism He wrote Pamphlets, Tracts, Letters and Sermons first in Latin then in English ->denounce the accumulation of land around the monasteries and the corruption of monks. “On Priests” a confutation of the Catholic church - priests are an example of idleness and wantonness - they are still sleeping when people are at their work - they denigrate good men who do not desire their company - drunkenness, quarreling and fighting, and often bloodshed - many people are brought to lechery, gluttony, idleness and theft He advocated a return to the Catholic Church to its original poverty a. Translated Bible into English->everyone could read and interpret it. This caused an improvement of language but also a very strong individualism b. Founded a group of “poor priests” who inspired the religious movement of Lollards GEOFFREY CHAUCER -He was born in London in 1350 and died in 1400 -He came from the lower middle class, son of a merchant -He took part in the hundred years war -He was often abroad on diplomatic missions -> he visited Italy and he probably met Boccaccio, Petrarca and also he read Dante -Its productions are divided into 3 periods a. imitation of French models b. imitation of Italian and Latin models c. English period (last 14 years of his life)-> Canterbury tales -Linguistic features a. old English 1100-1400 b. middle English 1400-1500 c. modern English 1500- onward ● CANTERBURY TALES they went to a great villa in Florence to tell stories (Boccaccio was absent) ● PROLOGUE Talks about a pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket to Canterbury (even if they couldn’t reach it)->it was a journey for the purification of the soul, a rebirth. The journey is physical (you go and walk) but also mental (you discover and learn). It’s an allegorical metaphor to describe human life. 1. SPRING-> time of the year when the pilgrimages took place. April brings new life to the earth->according to the pilgrimage that is a rebirth of the human soul. Regeneration is represented by the rain (reference to baptism) Small birds sleep with an open eye->excited for the following morning, arrival of spring In opposite March is described as a cold month (he changes the traditional approach) ZEPHYRUS-> personification of the wind comes from Druids. In old literature the wind means movement->life (in the Bible God blew in clay and so he created Adam). In contemporary literature it means danger. ASTRONOMICAL REFERENCE->Ram (frequent also in Dante) 2. 29 PILGRIMS of different origins met casually at Tabard, a famous pub->Chaucer was accepted by them and they could travel together. Everyone was from a different social class but there was no slave and no noble. They are divided into 3 groups and their names refer to their works: a- feudal lords->knights b- religious life->prioress c- townspeople->merchants,lawyers,students,meds,cooks Unlike in Middle Ages where characters are flat, here everyone is described very well, in particular in their clothes. ● THE PRIORESS ● Madame Eglantyne is a prioress, she spoke daily and extremely well French, she attended the Stratford-atte-Bowe, a monastery near London -> she is described as a noblewoman ● the impression she makes through smiling, her voice, and her table manners: She was simple and shy seemly with courtly kind of manners in singing. During mealtime she didn’t let any morsel fall from her lips and not even on her breast and she dipped not too deep her fingers in the sauce. As she finishes her meal she used to wipe her lips so that there wasn’t any trace of oil/grease. She reached for food in a composed way. ● physical and clothing description: - Nose-> elegant - eyes-> glass-grey - mouth-> very small but soft and red ( meanwhile this description in Joyes is referred to prostitutes ) - her forehead-> fair of spread (it means that she was very intelligent) - she was very tall - she has a graceful charm
