Awe, wow! Brava! Brava! (Though I know you put so much effort), you're effortlessly brilliant in what you do. Filled with many references and the depth of research, you gracefully guide us through General Prologue in Middle English! I so much enjoyed the recitation by Morgan Freeman, too. I look forward to the next post! Thank you so much!
😭😭😭 I feel so seen. I can’t even begin to tell you what these words mean. I do put much effort into this. Yet, at the same time, I am drawing in decades of study and teaching. The fact that that work shows to you means more than you can know. Thank you. 💛
You need to include some affiliate links. I read this in B&N and marched over to the classics section and made an impulse purchase of the Penguin Classics edition so I could easily jump into the Prologue. 😂
I feel like a stowaway, reading through this and Beowulf. How lucky am I to get to ride along with Karen Swallow Prior at the helm! I don’t know a thing, but I am eager to learn. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. How generous of you to share such wealth with us. ❤️
This thing about order - social and moral - has me intrigued on so many levels: Is Chaucer himself making that correlation (to be elevated is to be excellent) or is he setting-up his readers' own expectations to be exposed and confounded as the tales progress? The order in which people speak (or are allowed to speak) has so many dynamics at play in terms of self-perception and evaluation and their valuing or otherwise by others; how might that play out in the Tales I wonder? I only know (a little) the WoB but if she had been allowed to speak first would she have spoken differently, less boldly, more circumspectly? To what extent is she affected by the others' presentations? Which, of course, makes me reflect on small group dynamics, conversations etc and how/why we invert Chaucer's order and give special honour to the parts of the body that lack it. Sorry, too many questions!
Hoo boy. Such great questions! Thank you! I love it. :)
So, the social order and hierarchy would have been assumed and clear to his contemporary readers. But this is also how he is setting up and then subtly questioning readers' expectations. Now here I am talking simply about the order presented in the General Prologue. I am going to say a little bit more about that in my next post on the prologue.
As far as the order (which isn't certain) of the tales, which aren't complete, and the interaction between the pilgrims, that doesn't follow a hierarchical order. Rather, the tales are told (in some, not all) cases as a result of dramas between the pilgrims that occur on the journey. One pilgrim says something that angers another pilgrim, and a sort of "dueling tales" ensues. The tales are set up sometimes with their own prologues, as well, so it all gets very complicated--and fun and dramatic! For example, the Summoner tells a tale directed against friars that follows the Friar's tale that was insulting to Summoners.
In sum, the General Prologues is complete and its ordering is clear. The tales themselves are so incomplete and exist in such different versions that scholars can only make speculations of the order with varying degrees of certainty.
Thank you so much, Karen, that really helps with orienting to the unfolding of the tales. I hadn't realised some had a dialogical (even duelling) aspect to them, will watch out for that. I didn't know re the debate over their ordering, also, so that's really helpful to bear in mind - there's a part of me that's really pleased to find it could be messier than expected on that front.
Very messy! Some editions put the Tales in different order for this reason. Again, the work is very, very incomplete. But what we have is oh so magnificent!
I like the idea of looking at the ensuing relational dynamics through the lens of how small groups work. There is a weird and magical way that groups can develop their own small cultures and personality, and different people will assume roles in that context. I'm looking forward to noticing how that unfolds.
I’m not expecting you to go that direction...goodness, you take it where you want to go! As a therapist, Richard’s comment made me think about that perspective though, and the way people behave in different systems. I’m sure that will be in my radar as I read! ❤️
I am interested to see how much of this I’m able to cover in this space! It will likely be a fraction of what we have in the entire text. But I hope I inspire and equip folks to read more on their own.
At age 84 I can still recite the first two lines with a fair degree of accuracy. My 12th grade English teacher recommended we memorize those two lines. He said that we would always have something to wow people with at a party. He passed on long ago but at our 25th reunion I went up to him and shook his hand and thanked him for inspiring us so appreciate literature. Now at 84 my education has become even more important. I expect to learn much from your posts and the cost is so minimal!
I am late to the game here but have been chomping at the bit to dive into this. The time has arrived and I couldn’t be more thrilled to learn from you! I remember reading certain stories from CT between high school and university... but not much has stuck 😅 I’ll be reading it with fresh eyes now!
Awe, wow! Brava! Brava! (Though I know you put so much effort), you're effortlessly brilliant in what you do. Filled with many references and the depth of research, you gracefully guide us through General Prologue in Middle English! I so much enjoyed the recitation by Morgan Freeman, too. I look forward to the next post! Thank you so much!
😭😭😭 I feel so seen. I can’t even begin to tell you what these words mean. I do put much effort into this. Yet, at the same time, I am drawing in decades of study and teaching. The fact that that work shows to you means more than you can know. Thank you. 💛
I see you through your writing and posture in it. You are the Queen abiding in these books and literatures! Love to you Karen <3
😘😘😘
You need to include some affiliate links. I read this in B&N and marched over to the classics section and made an impulse purchase of the Penguin Classics edition so I could easily jump into the Prologue. 😂
YESSSSS!!!!
I feel like a stowaway, reading through this and Beowulf. How lucky am I to get to ride along with Karen Swallow Prior at the helm! I don’t know a thing, but I am eager to learn. So, thank you, thank you, thank you. How generous of you to share such wealth with us. ❤️
😊
This thing about order - social and moral - has me intrigued on so many levels: Is Chaucer himself making that correlation (to be elevated is to be excellent) or is he setting-up his readers' own expectations to be exposed and confounded as the tales progress? The order in which people speak (or are allowed to speak) has so many dynamics at play in terms of self-perception and evaluation and their valuing or otherwise by others; how might that play out in the Tales I wonder? I only know (a little) the WoB but if she had been allowed to speak first would she have spoken differently, less boldly, more circumspectly? To what extent is she affected by the others' presentations? Which, of course, makes me reflect on small group dynamics, conversations etc and how/why we invert Chaucer's order and give special honour to the parts of the body that lack it. Sorry, too many questions!
Hoo boy. Such great questions! Thank you! I love it. :)
So, the social order and hierarchy would have been assumed and clear to his contemporary readers. But this is also how he is setting up and then subtly questioning readers' expectations. Now here I am talking simply about the order presented in the General Prologue. I am going to say a little bit more about that in my next post on the prologue.
As far as the order (which isn't certain) of the tales, which aren't complete, and the interaction between the pilgrims, that doesn't follow a hierarchical order. Rather, the tales are told (in some, not all) cases as a result of dramas between the pilgrims that occur on the journey. One pilgrim says something that angers another pilgrim, and a sort of "dueling tales" ensues. The tales are set up sometimes with their own prologues, as well, so it all gets very complicated--and fun and dramatic! For example, the Summoner tells a tale directed against friars that follows the Friar's tale that was insulting to Summoners.
In sum, the General Prologues is complete and its ordering is clear. The tales themselves are so incomplete and exist in such different versions that scholars can only make speculations of the order with varying degrees of certainty.
Not too many questions at all!
Thank you so much, Karen, that really helps with orienting to the unfolding of the tales. I hadn't realised some had a dialogical (even duelling) aspect to them, will watch out for that. I didn't know re the debate over their ordering, also, so that's really helpful to bear in mind - there's a part of me that's really pleased to find it could be messier than expected on that front.
Very messy! Some editions put the Tales in different order for this reason. Again, the work is very, very incomplete. But what we have is oh so magnificent!
I like the idea of looking at the ensuing relational dynamics through the lens of how small groups work. There is a weird and magical way that groups can develop their own small cultures and personality, and different people will assume roles in that context. I'm looking forward to noticing how that unfolds.
I’m not expecting you to go that direction...goodness, you take it where you want to go! As a therapist, Richard’s comment made me think about that perspective though, and the way people behave in different systems. I’m sure that will be in my radar as I read! ❤️
I’m truly interested in pursuing what provokes thought here! That is the fun of this project! 😃
I am interested to see how much of this I’m able to cover in this space! It will likely be a fraction of what we have in the entire text. But I hope I inspire and equip folks to read more on their own.
Thanks, Richard. That question intrigued me, too.
I'm so glad it's not just me! :)
Wow now I'm so intrigued that I'm going to have to go find a copy of The Canterbury Tales. I used to own one, but alas....
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
At age 84 I can still recite the first two lines with a fair degree of accuracy. My 12th grade English teacher recommended we memorize those two lines. He said that we would always have something to wow people with at a party. He passed on long ago but at our 25th reunion I went up to him and shook his hand and thanked him for inspiring us so appreciate literature. Now at 84 my education has become even more important. I expect to learn much from your posts and the cost is so minimal!
Jack
Oh, I love this on so many levels! Good teachers give gifts that last a lifetime! So glad to have you join us here, Jack!
I am late to the game here but have been chomping at the bit to dive into this. The time has arrived and I couldn’t be more thrilled to learn from you! I remember reading certain stories from CT between high school and university... but not much has stuck 😅 I’ll be reading it with fresh eyes now!
Hooray! And welcome! Hope you share with us some of what you see with those fresh eyes!