Geoffrey Chaucer (3)

Geoffrey Chaucer: (3) This is the sequel of: Geoffrey Chaucer (2) , a medieval English poet During his career, he was the confidant and protege of three additional kings, namely: Edward III (1312-1377) , Richard II (1367-1400) , and Henry IV (1367-1413) His Canterbury Tales is the most generically diverse creative work in the English language, exploring everything from bedroom farce to animal fable and from romances of chivalry to lives of saints. Chaucer is a brilliant creator of first-person speakers: characters such as the Pardoner and the Wife of Bath who live by their wits and who deliver virtuoso verbal performances. Chaucer explores various views of Judaism and Islam, is fascinated by the Orient, the far east, as a place of fantasy and magic. Chaucer wrote his poetry to be read aloud, so much emphasis in this class will be placed upon verbal performance. And since each performance is an act of interpretation, much attention will be paid to the ways in which we read. This will be done gradually and collectively, so nobody will be put on the spot. But by the end of the semester, the whole class should be fluent readers of Chaucer. This class will be more demanding than most and is best suited for seniors and juniors. The examination will be by just two pieces of work: a short essay, plus a longer research paper.