The medieval ballad
When were medieval popular ballads written down?
Medieval popular ballads were written down between the 13th and 14th centuries.
Who are the characters?
The characters are usually ordinary people, but they can also be both real and supernatural characters, like fairies, witches and ghosts.
What part of society did he belong to?
He belonged to the wealthy part of society.
Why is he regarded as the father of English literature?
Because he portrayed English society of his time and wrote his masterpiece in the dialect of his native London. His language became the basis of Modern English.
Where do the characters meet and why?
They meet at the Tabard Inn, in Southwark, at the start of their journey to Canterbury, to visit Thomas Becket’s shrine.
How are the lines arranged?
The lines are organised in four-line stanzas, usually rhyming ABCB o ABAB.
What are the main themes?
There are a variety of themes.
Where was he buried?
In Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.
What were his contributions to the English language?
He coined about 2,000 words and phrases in English.
How is the story organised?
It has a General Prologue and includes twenty-four tales.
What are the most important stylistic devices?
They are the repetition of words or lines and the use of refrains (the repetition of one or more lines).
What are the main elements of a narrative poem?
They are the setting in time and place, the description of characters and the use of a narrator.
Where did he travel?
He travelled to France and Italy.
What are the three periods in his works?
The French period,
What kind of rhyme and metre are used?
Heroic rhyming couplets.
What does a ballad tell?
It tells a dramatic story.
What was the aim of medieval collections of stories?
To entertain and to instruct.
What did he do?
He became Controller of the Customs in the Port of London, he was a Member of Parliament and was appointed Clerk of the King’s Works at Westminster.
What were his contributions to the English language?
He coined about 2,000 words and phrases in English.
What people did Chaucer portray?
How did his portraits differ from the conventional medieval character portrait?
He portrays contemporary English society: he included a knight, the clergy and many members of the emerging ‘middle class’.
His portraits were realistic, not static (in contrast to the conventional medieval character), and focused on the pilgrim’s physical appearance, actions, personality and job.
Is the story told through a continuous sequence of events?
No, it is told through a series of rapid flashes.
What is the greatest example of a medieval narrative poem in English?
Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales.
Who was he interested in?
Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio.
What is the title of his masterpiece?
The Canterbury Tales.
What are the main themes?
The main theme is the journey, connected to the idea of rebirth.