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THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY

TALES:CHAUCERS REALISM:THE PROLOGUE AS A
PICTURE OF CONTEMPORARYSOCIETY:
Literature reflects the tendencies of the age in which it is produced. There is
always a great literary artist who becomes the mouthpiece of his age and gives
expression to its hopes and intimate ideas in his works. Such an artist was
Alexander Pope in the 17
th
century, the age of classicism, and such a poet was
Alfred Tennyson in the Victorian Age, during the 19
th
Century. Pope faithfully
represents his Age in his poems such as The Rape of the Lock. In The Rape of
the Lock the poet directs his attention to the fashions of the ladies of fashion
represented by Arabella Fermor. Like Pope, Tennyson was equally the
mouthpiece of the Victorian Society, and represented the ideal traditions and
hopes of the people. He reflected the fancies and sentiments of Victorian
England. In the Princess, the poet displayed one of the rising questions of the
daythat of the higher education of society.Like Pope and Tennyson, Chaucer
too represents his own Age and holds the mirror to the life of his time.He is truly
the social historian of England in the late 14
th

Century. His poetry reflects the 14
th

Century asa complete whole. Other poets of his Age draw attention to only
certain limited aspects of the time such asWycliffe shows us the religious
reformation; Gower the fear produced in the wealthier class by thefarmer rising;
and Leyland the corruption in the church. Each of these authors throws light only
on oneaspect of the 14
th
Century life. It is Chaucers greatness that he shows not one aspect of his time
only, butall its wide and different faces of life. Chaucer gives us a direct view of
reality and a true picture of dailylife.Chaucer symbolizes the Middle Ages. But
under the medievalism a trend of Renaissance is already at work. The poet stands
on the dividing way linking himself with the old world that was passing away
and the birth of the new age that was peeping at the horizon.
Realism:
Chaucer was a realist and he revealed the truth about life as he saw it. Before him,
the writers were lost in the world of dreams and allegories. In his French Period,
Chaucer too was an allegorist, but in the English Period he put away the dreamy
allegory and came out with healthy observations about the life that he found
unfolding before his eyes. He had the Seeing Eye; the sharp memory and
judgment. Thushis observations about his times are true and realistic.Chaucers
realism comes out in the setting of The Canterbury Tales. The pilgrimage to the
holy shrine bya group of pilgrims belonging to all classes of society except the
aristocracy, and the unruly crowdprovide Chaucer a fitting world of 14
th
Century life. Chaucer gives us a show of real world people withtheir real follies
and virtues. Chaucer gives the solid touch of realism in the portrayal of his
characters.The minute and detailed manner in which each character is set forth in
his dress, manner and behaviour,tends to realism. Each character, the Miller, the
Reeve, the Cook and the Carpenter, by his ways,comments, narration and
humour ads to the impression of realism that Chaucer seeks to present in
theCanterbury Tales.
Chivalry:
Chaucers poetry reflects the chivalric spirit of the Medieval Ages. The 14
th
Century was still infascinating hold of chivalry and knighthood. In the
prologue to the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer reflectsthe fading chivalry in the
Middle Ages represented in the person of the Knight, and rising chivalry of
hisown times reflected in his son, a young Squire. The old knight was a brave
warrior. He had fought fifteenmortal battles all for the defense of religion. He was
the true symbol of the old world of knighthood thatwas passing away giving
place to a new conception of chivalry represented by his son the young
Squire,who in spite of his military achievements, was a man of happy go lucky
nature. The young Squire washardly as sober and intelligent as was his father, the
embodiment of the old world of chivalry. He was aknight of marry making. His
chivalry was more luxurious and less idealistic temper of the age of greatFrench
war. He was not lost in the dreams of warfare like the knights of old, but he took
delight insinging and playing upon the flute.


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Political Conditions of the Time:
Chaucer realistically presented the political conditions of his times. He referred
to the Peasant Revolt inwhich bands of farmers armed with weapons turned out
from villages and looted, burned and killed thearistocracy of the Age. This revolt
is told in the Clerks Tale and in the Nuns Tale.Chaucer had no love and liking
for the rebellion and hence in his works we have few references to thesepopular
movements of the people out for snatching power from the noble. The
Canterbury Tales containfew references to the plague. His references to the
agitations and the plague are casual. Chaucer wrotefor the court and cultivated
classes to whom the sufferings of the poor were a matter of completeindifference.
In Chaucers presentations of the Carpenter, Dyer and Haberdasher, we meet the
newpower that these commoners were getting at this time.
Trade and Commerce:
The 14
th
Century was the age of rise of the rich and prosperous merchants and tradesmen.
They carriedsplendid business with European countries and were laying the
foundations of Englands industrialprosperity. Small traders and handicraftsmen
grew in power and began to behave like well-to-do citizens.The importance and
self-consciousness of the smaller tradesmen increased with that of great
merchants.The middle class people began to come into prominence and
contested seats for parliament. Chaucermakes reference to the rise of traders and
merchants during his time and his Merchant is the symbol of those merchants of
that time.
Medical Profession:
Chaucers Doctor of Physic is an excellent picture of the medieval medicine
man. He has herbal remediesand knowledge of astronomy and astrology. He is
also a priest, but, Chaucer indicates that his medicalstudies have drawn him away
from his profession.
Religious Conditions:
Chaucer tells us about religious conditions of his times by creating the characters
belonging to the churchin the prologue. He does not directly points out the
corruption among the clergymen of the times but hecertainly presents realistically
the degeneration that had set in religious life of the times. The clergymeninstead
of devoting their time and energy to religious meditation and genuine salvation of
fallen souls hadgiven themselves up to corruption and Epicureanism. The picture
of the Clergy as presented by Chauceris not at all encouraging. The monks had
forgotten their original rule of poverty and labour. ChaucersMonk is fat and
well-fed individual who is more interested in hunting than in the performance of
hisreligious duties. The Friar is a corrupt fellow and he knows all the town
taverns and every inn keeperand bar-maid better than the beggar-woman. The
Franklin is still worse. He is a pleasure seeker and ispleased with drinking and
fine eating. The Summoner, the Pardoner are traders in religion sellingreligious
pardon to those who seek their blessing for money. Chaucer presents these
religious figures of his times in their true coloures. Chaucer gives his ideal of a
true clergyman in the figure of the Parson.The Parson is a learned man faithfully
preaching Christ gospel. He is holy and virtuous.
Condition of Women:
Chaucer throws light on the condition of women of his times in the Prologue as
well as in the Tales.Chaucers Tales contain bitter attacks on women in keeping
with the conventional attitude of mentowards sex. In the Nuns Priests Tale,
Chaucer points out that a husband who follows the advice of hiswife will come to
grief. In the Prologue Chaucer has presented three ladies: The Prioress, a Nun,
and theWife of Bath. These ladies are good representatives of the women of his
times.
Table Manners:
Chaucer also reveals the conditions of the inns of his times and the table manners
of the pilgrims. Wegather from Chaucer that inns were situated at some distances
and beer was also served in places otherthan these inns. There is also a discourse
on table manners of the age in the Prologue. Each guest broughthis own knife,
but for common use there were no forks. At the beginning and end of dinner
everyonewashed his hands.
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Love for Display and Extravagance:
Chaucer represents faithfully the love for display, an extravagance in the upper
and lower classes of 14
th
Century life. This love for display is shown in several characters of the Prologue.
The horse of the Knightwas decked with finery. The wife of Bath decked herself
with kerchiefs and finery. The youthful Squirealso put on fine dresses.
The Spirit of New Learning:
Through the character of the Clerk of Oxford Chaucer has presented the interest
that people of his agestarted talking in classical writers. The new learning began
to be popular at this time, as can be seen inthe case of the Clerk of Oxford
Conclusion:
In all these ways it can be said unhesitatingly that Chaucer is the historian of his
age and he reflects hiscentury not in fragments but almost completely. He heralds
the birth of new humanism and the dawn of the Renaissance, and at the same
time he clearly brings before us the traditions and conventions which his age had
inherited from the Middle Ages.




THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY
TALES:CHAUCERS ART OF
CHARACTERISATION:THEME OF THE PROLOGUE
HUMAN BEING:CHAUCERS HUMANISM:

By characterization we mean the presentation of a man inwardly or outwardly
through the instrument of language. Chaucer is a poet who brings out the
different aspects of a character through creating imagesand these images are
linguistic images. Like Shakespeare and Dickens, Chaucer is also a great master
of creating characters. In fact The prologue to The Canterbury Tale is the best
example of Chaucers artof characterization. In the beginning of the Prologue,
Chaucer himself tells us the purpose of his writingthe prologue.This clearly
shows that Chaucer wants to characterize a person as what he or she appears to be
dressedor in behaviour. So the theme of the prologue is the characterization of the
pilgrims with specialreference to their status, physical appearances and personal
behavior. He has drawn them so skillfullythat they become alive before our eyes.
Keeping in view the range of his characterization, Drydenremarks, Here is
Gods plenty. Chaucer is the most original in the series of sketches of the
pilgrims inThe Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.Chaucer has presented his
times through his characters. He is the first great painter of the characters
inEnglish literature. Next to Shakespeare, he is the greatest in this field. Chaucer
presents the fourteenthcentury life as vividly and clearly as Tennyson did later in
Victorian Age. Chaucer exhibits his art bydescribing his characters in full details
by comparison and contrast. He brings before us the full portraitof his characters
drawn by him. The Young Squire has been described as a merry youth of
playfuldisposition in a single line:Chaucer has the Seeing Eye, the, the judgment
to select. His keen observation, the minutest details of hischaracters, their dresses,
their looks and their manners enable him to present his characters in detail.They
appear lifelike characters and not mere bloodless abstractions. Chaucers art of
characterization isunique, superb and original. Chaucers characters form a
picture gallery of the14th century.Chaucers characters are types as well as
individuals. They are types in the sense that they embody thespirit and attitude of
a certain class. For example the religious characters of The Prologue give us
animage and insight into the very condition of Christianity of his Age. The
corruption and hypocrisy hadcrept into the fabric of religion. Hence it was losing
its attraction and power. Chaucers characters likeThe Monk, The Prioress,
The Friar, The Summoner and The Pardoner are the typicalcharacters that
are corrupt and the cause of degeneration of their class. But at the same time,
Chaucerscharacters are individuals also. The Monk loves to ride, The Wife of
Bath is slightly deaf; TheReeve has long thin legs and The Miller has a wart
on his nose. More over Chaucer builds a greatamount of his characterization on
the facial colors and expressions of his characters, for example, TheSummoners
face is red that means he is a lustful person. The Friar has a white blot on his neck
which isan outer projection of his inner corruption. The Doctor of Physic is
interested in gold:Chaucers characterization is based upon acute observation. He
has a psychological insight into the veryperson, he is talking about. From the
outward appearances of his characters he leads us into their makeup. The dresses
of Chaucers characters are in accordance with their ranks and professions. So for
as, hisappearance is concerned, The Knight is not in very good shape. But at
the same time his appearancegives us an idea of the committed life he is leading
as a Christian .Similarly the dress of the Clerk is aclear objectification of his being
a scholar. He refers to the physical features of these pilgrims to give usan idea of
their characters. Gap-toothed lady is fond of marriages and traveling. A person
with narroweyes is cunning.Chaucers treatment of the character is objective as
he believes in artistic objectivity. So he portrays thecharacters with impartiality
and disintrestedness.The characters are so real that they can be easilyrecognized.
Chaucers art of characterization is free from personal animosity. In this respect,
he is likeShakespeare and Fielding. In fact Chaucer makes his characters speak
for themselves in such a way as to


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unfold their minds and hearts. Chaucers objectivity is perhaps the most
important aspect of hischaracterization.A very important aspect of Chaucers
characterization is that humour and satire are embodied in it insuch a way that
humour never becomes ridiculous, and satire never very pungent. This proportion
isbased on Chaucers own philosophy of life. Chaucer is a liberal comedian. He,
like Shakespeare, depictsthe various types of humorous characters. Chaucer was
a humorist to the core. He did not believe in theperfect purity of a man. He
believed that man is liable to make mistakes and commit sins. It means thatgood
and evil are the basic components of human being. Hence his weakness should
be taken lightly andhe should be forgiven for his infirmities. That is why;
Chaucer is never harsh in his characterization. Hedelights in presenting plain men
and women, interested in the normal course of living. His characterThe Wife of
Bath is almost a corrupt character from the contemporary criteria of ethics. But
Chauceris never harsh in tone while portraying this character. The purpose of
such a twist is to create fun andhumour, for example, he praises the Doctor of
Physic in a very interesting way. Superficially, heglorifies the Doctors learning.
But he is making reference to his apathy towards the poor. Similarly, heseems to
be agreed to the view that a monk should not be confined to his seclusion. The
Prioress too is atarget of his joke, when she behaves like a heroine of Romances.


THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY
TALES:CHAUCERS HUMOUR:
Chaucer was a born humorist. He was the master of humour and irony. He was
the first true humorist inEnglish Literature, and it is by his humour that Chaucer
has won a permanent place in the hearts of hisreaders. Mansfield calls him, a
great Renaissance gentleman mocking the Middle Ages. Humour was thestuff
and substance of his entire mental constitution and the essence of his art. It was
the colour of humour that gave the lively touch of his poetry and made it a
fountain of liveliness and joy. It was hishumour that strengthened him against all
misfortunes and enabled him to retain the freshness of hisyouth in spite of many
miseries. He was a great master of humour and all his writings abound in it in
allits rich variety. He belongs to great humorists of English literature.Chaucers
humour is essentially English in character. Just as Chaucers personality was
English, the ringof his humour is equally English. Lowell gives expression to the
humour of Chaucer in the followingwords: Chaucers is essentially an English
humour. It is not the wit of the Frenchman. His humour isborn of a strong
commonsense and a generous sympathy and these are the qualities of the great
Englishhumorists like Shakespeare and Fielding.To grasp the secret of Chaucers
humour it is well to remember that Chaucer with all his wide learningwas a great
humanist. He was essentially the poet of man intensely interested in man and his
affairs. Hehad large humanity and good humoured tolerance. He had no disliking
for fools and no hate for rascals.While gently unmasking the evil of the rogues, he
was grateful of them for the pleasure they gave. Thushis humour was the
offspring of large humanity and catholicity of temper without a grain of ill-will.
Hisunderstanding sympathy with the unpleasant side of life, his genial
temperament which made himobserve with delight the frailties of mankind--- all
these made him a great humorist. His imaginationcould raise bubbles of fun out
of unexpected places. It brightens whatever it touches. This genialityseparates
Chaucer from such later humorists as Addison and Jane Austin who can be cruel.
Cruelty andChaucer are strangers. Every object was viewed by him with
humour.Chaucers humour is of the finest type. It bears a close similarity to
Shakespeares humour. LikeShakespeares humour it is marked with a freshness
of outlook, charity, tolerance and forgiveness. Thereis the tone of sympathy for its
victim.Humour takes many forms in literature. It can be used both in broad and
limited sense. In the narrowsense it means a little jolly good natured mirth. In its
broader sense it stands for noisy humour (Fun),intellectual humour (wit), gentle
humour and bitter humour (satire). Chaucers work reflects all theseforms and
shapes of humour. Chaucer raises humour at his own cost as at the cost of his
pilgrims. Hespares not even himself and cracks many a jest at his own expense.
He refers to himself as a simpleunlettered man.The satirical tone of Chaucers
humour is well presented in the characters of the Monk, the Friar, theFranklyn,
the Pardoner and the summoner. There is the presence of ironic humour when the
poet givesthe description of Madame Eglantynes French. There is ironic love in
the ridicule of the Knightsachievements and the distant places visited by him in
the course of the holy wars as in Alexandria,Prussia and Russia.There is humour
also in the general plan and setting of the Canterbury Tales. The set of pilgrims
on theway are like the members of the crew of Comus than the holy pilgrims.
They provide a humorousspectacle of humanity on the move as we meet them in
their journey. Chaucer shows them calling to eachother, criticizing each other and
quarreling with each other. They shout and swear, laugh and weep, interrupt the
story teller, pass compliments and thus keep alive the spirit of life. In this way a
comedy of action goes through the whole poem.


THE PROLOGUE TO THE CANTERBURY TALES: CHAUCER
AS THE FATHER OF ENGLISH POETRY:
Chaucer is regarded as the father of English poetry and the earliest of the great
moderns. In those dark days when the light of modernism had not yet visible on
the horizon, Chaucer hoped the modern tasteand modern mind, and his poetry
introduced qualities far in advance of his times. Though Chaucer couldnot write a
drama or a novel as we know it, but his works contain the seeds of both of the
modern drama and the novel. If he had lived a few years more, he would
certainly have been our first dramatist and novelist, just as he is the first national
poet of England. Chaucer made several contributions to English poetry.
National Poet:
Chaucer was the first great national poet of England giving full expression to the
new hopes and desiresof the people of his times. He voiced through his poetry
that national unity which had been brought aboutby the fusion of the Normans
and the Anglo-Saxons. The growing influence of France was checked andfor the
first time gave expression to the life, ideals, hopes and desires of the
people of England, in thenatural language. The foundation of Chaucers art
lies in English life and English character.
His Observation and Realism:
Modern poetry is characterized by realism. The modern poet is keen observer of
the various tendenciesof his times which are being put by him in poetry. This
modern note of realism had been sounded byChaucer long ago in the 14
th
Century. He made a thorough study of his time in its different aspects andgave
expression to its hopes and desires in the Canterbury Tales. His observations
about his times are true and realistic. He stands in much the same relation to the
life of his time as Pope does to the earlier phases of the 18
th
Century and Tennyson to the Victorian age. He presents a cross-section of
English lifein the 14
th
Century in a very successful manner.
His description:
Chaucers best description of men, manners and places are of the first rank in
their beauty and humour. He has clarity even when he describes the details of
spring mornings and flowery gardens. He had a unique power of description in
showing merits and demerits of his fellow-men. Thus the prologue to the
Canterbury Tales is a picture gallery that contains all classes of people ranging
from the Knight to the Miller and the Cook.
His Humanity and Tolerance:
His description of his fellow-men shows his wide humanity and toleration.
Chaucers wide sympathy andgentle humanity make him lovable among the
English poets. He is not opposed. He takes interest in hisfellowmen. He becomes
one with them and does not fall foul on them like Lang land. Cruelty andChaucer
are far apart, says Aldous Huxley. He is the poet of humanity. Chaucer looks on
his charactersand smile while Lang land cries aloud in anger.
His Native Art:
Chaucer is the supreme story-teller. In his stories the narration is straightforward
and not tempered. Heintroduces humour in his narration and makes his stories
life-like and living.
Characterization:
Chaucer made significant contribution to the art of characterization. Chaucer is
the first great painter of character according to Ward. He is first great observer of
it among European writers. He presents his characters in a masterly manner. His
characters are both individuals and types. His characters like those of
Shakespeare are life-like and we cannot forget them. The Knight, the Friar, the
Pardoner, the Wife of Bath and Doctor of Physic are living characters and they
have an eternal freshness about them. Chaucers characters, no doubt belong to
their age, but they are also of all time.
His Humour and Pathos:
Chaucer is in the grand tradition of the great humorist and while his humour may
have the peculiarEnglish tinge and flavour yet it has also the essence of all true
humour. This places him in the very firstline of humorists. Chaucer lays less
emphasis on pathos but it is not ignored. In the poetry of Chaucer thesentiment is
human and unforced. We have excellent examples of pathos in the Tale of the
Prioress andthe Legend of Good Women. Chaucers pathos is not sentimental.
He shows sympathy for inevitablesorrow.
Dramatic Elements in his Poetry:
Chaucer has been called A dramatist in all but the fact. We have all elements of
drama in his tales,characterization, dialogue, conflict and setting. He is essentially
a dramatist and if his great work doesnot appear in the conventional dramatic
form, it is an accident of the time, and by no means proves awant of power of
original conception or of artistic skill in the author. Chaucers method of narration
isdramatic. All his characters talk in a dramatic manner. The most sustained
dramatic character is that of the Host. The spirit of comedy is clear in his tales.
As a Precursor of the Novel:
In Chaucers Troilus and Criseyde and the Canterbury Tales, we have the seeds
of the novel which wascultivated by others at a later stage. The Prologue to the
Canterbury Tales is the prologue to the modernfiction. It is the preface to Don
Quixote and the preface to Gill Blas. The tales with their characters andtheir
atmosphere are novels in miniature.
Contribution to Language and Versification:
Chaucer made notable contribution to the English language and versification. In
1360, English was splitin four dialects. Chaucer popularized, reshaped and
reformed the East Midland dialect and gave it theform of the standard tongue. He
gave to his native tongue smoothness and flexibility, which it had notknown
since the Norman times and he gave a high poetical life to this dialect.
Appeal to Modern Times:
Chaucer makes the deepest appeal to the reader of the modern times. They
recognize in Chaucer not a man of old age but essentially a modern poet living in
age with all signs of modernism. The greatest quality which makes Chaucers
appeal so widespread in our times is his freshness of outlook, his catholicity of
temper and his joyous appreciation of the good things of life. In Chaucers world,
there is alittle agony and less pain. All is joy and everything has a fresh look. The
lively picture of life makes a fascinating appeal to the modern readers, and
Chaucer is recognized as the earliest of the moderns.
His Defects:
Some critics have found certain flaws in Chaucers poetry. Matthew Arnold
found Chaucer deficient insublime ideals and high seriousness. Another
shortcoming of Chaucer is said to be the lack of truelyricism in his poetry. He is
charged by Albert for a fondness of long speeches and long explanationswhen
none are necessary. With a few exceptions, his poetry lacks the mysterious
significances.
Conclusion:
Whatever may be the shortcoming of Chaucer as a poet, it can not be denied that
he gave excellentservice to English literature in a variety of ways. He was a
genius born at a time when the lights were yethazy. After Chaucer, there was a
century of barrenness, and then greatness of the poet came into view in
comparison with his followers.