1、LectureTwoGeoffreyChaucer(1340~1400)1.LifeSty2.Literarycareer3.TheCanterburyTales4.Evaluation1.LifeStyChaucerenteredtheserviceofKingEdwardIIIin1367.Fthenext10yearsdiplomaticerrstookhimsome9timestotheEuropeanContinentwhic

2、hprovedtobeveryimptanttohim.BesidesthesediplomaticmissionsChaucerhadotherpublicemployment.HewasoncemadeControllerofCustomsin1374electedMemberofParliament(MP)fKent.Withthesepositionshestillexperiencedsomeyearsofpovertyonc

3、ewrote“ComplainttoHisEmptyPurse”.Hediedin1400wasthefirstwritertobeburiedinthePoet’sCnerofWestminsterAbbey.2.LiteraryCareer1stperiod:13601372chieflyinfluencedbytheFrenchpoetryhischiefliterarycreationwasnothingbutthetransl

4、ationfromFrench“TheRaumauntoftheRose（玫瑰傳奇）”.ChaucerwasthefirsttointroduceintoEnglishversetheoctosyllabiccouplet(八音節(jié)雙韻).2ndperiod:(13721385~6)undertheinfluenceofItalianliterature.HisvisitstoGenoaPisaFlencein1372followedby

5、hisvisitstoMilanin1378wereofparticularimptancetohisliterarycreation:thebooksbyDante(“TheDivineComedy”)Petrach(“RimeSparse”歌集)Boccaccio(TheDecameron)theiridealofhumanismprovidesanewmotivetoChaucer’sfutureliterarycreation.

6、AdaptationfromtheItalianas“TroylusCriseyde”.3rdperiod:thelastremaining15yearsinhislifethewritingofTheCanterburyTaleshismasterpiece.Chaucerhadreachedfullmaturityinhisliterarycreationfreefromanydominantfeigninfluence.Hehas

7、hisownchoiceofsubjecthisowngraspofacterhisowndictionplot.3.TheCanterburyTalesOutlineThewholepoemisacollectionoftalesstrungtogetherwithasimpleplan.OnaspringeveningthepoetshimselfattheTabardInn.Herehemeets29otherpilgrimsre

8、adyfajourneyof60milesonhsebacktoCanterbury.Atthesuggestionofthehostoftheinntheyagreetotelltwostiesgoingtworeturning.Thehostistobethejudgeofthecontest.Thereshouldhavebeen120stiesbutChauceronlylivedtowrite24ofthem.Variousi

9、nkindthesestiesarethepoetsucceedsinlinkingthemtogetherthroughtwoways.Thepersonalityofthehostaffdsaclearstringofconnectionfromthefirsttothelasttale:hegivesunitytothewholewkinvitingcriticizingadmiringdenouncingbutalwayskee

10、pinghimselfinevidence(可見的).ThenthereisanintimateconnectionbetweenthetalestheProloguebothcomplementingeachother.WhydidpeoplegoonpilgrimagetoCanterburybecausetheyaresick.Doubleviewofpilgrimage:1.asaneventinthecalendarofnat

11、ureanaspectofthegeneralspringtimesurgeofhumanenergywhichwakensman’sloveofVenus(naturallove).2.asaneventinthecalendarofdivinity.SpringisalsotheseasonofEasterisallegicallyregardedasthetimeofRedemptionthroughsacrificeofJesu

12、sChristwithitsconnotationsofreligiousrebirthwhichwakensman’sloveofGod(divinelove).Thetransitionfromnaturetodivinityisemphasizedbythecontrastbetweenthephysicalvitalitywhichconditionsthepilgrimagethespiritualsicknesswhicho

13、ccasionsthepilgrimagetheparallelismbetweentherenewalpowerofnaturetherestativepowerofsupernature(divinity).SointhebeginningpassageChaucersetsthedoublemotivationsofthepilgrimsinanambiguoustonewithremarkableeconomyofwdsatel

14、lingfaculty(ability).4.Evaluation1.MessengerofHumanismInfluencedbywhathelearnedfromthegreatItalianwritersChauceraffirmedman’srighttopursueearthlyhappinesspraisedman’senergyintellectloveoflife.Heexposedsatirizedthesocialv

15、icesincludingreligiousabuses.ItthuscanbesaidthatthoughessentiallystillamedievalwriterChaucerbemarksofhumanismanticipatedaneweratocome.2ThefirstrealisticwriterChaucerwasthefirstwriterinEnglishliteraturewhogaveupwritingina

16、nallegicalwaybutinarealisticway.(BeowulfaChristianpaganwritingromancesallegy.)Chaucer’slifelonginvolvementwithpracticalbusinessdealingwithallstsofpeoplethehighestthelowest.explingthethemeofindividual’srelationtothesociet

17、yinwhichhelivesshowingthecomicironiceffectsobtainablefromtheclassdistinctionsfeltbythenewlyemergedbourgeoisie3“FatherofEnglishPoetry”ChaucerintroducedfromItalyFrancetherhymedstanzasofvarioustypestoEnglishpoetrytoreplacet

18、heOldEnglishalliterativeverse.InhisRaumauntoftheRosehefirstintroducedintoEnglishtheoctosyllabiccouplet.InTheLegendofGoodWomanheusedfthefirsttimeinEnglishtheheroiccouplettherhymedcoupletofiambicpentameterwhichhealsoemploy