14th Century England – Death, Disruption and Change

W. Langland, G. Chaucer

Dream Vision Genre

-dreams in medieval literature
-immensely popular
-Chaucer, Langland, and the Gawain-poet
-flexible vehicle for wide-ranging ideas
-journey of romance, advnture, quest, fantasy, symblism
creative space
author vs dreamer/narrator= constructed persona, the ‘I’ persona
- vivid realism
-explores questions of meaning, identity and imagination
-the themes- many and varied: courtly love, consolation, religious faith, salvation, political
satire
-Geoffrey Chaucer,The Book of the Duchess (1369-72), and The Parliament of Fowls (1382),
the Gawain-poet's Pearl and William Langland's Piers Plowman
-medieval people – ‘read’ the signs in the world around them, ‘Nature’ as a book
-multiple layers of meaning: literal, allegorical, moral, theologocal, e.g., ‘Jerusalem’
-the allegorical mode at the heart of medieval literature
-can appear ‘modern’, Piers Plowman, 'stream of consciousness' technique
-a number of key elements: the frame of the dream, the persona of the dreamer, the
authoritative figure(s) met within the dream, the dream landscape and several common themes
-dreamers and their guides= lead, instruct, the dialogue
-journey of interior, progress
-the dreamer – the connecting thread
-dream landscape, springtime, May, natural world, garden
Roman de la Rose / The Romance of the Rose
- begun in 1237 by Guillaume de Lorris
completed in 1275 by Jean de Meung
‘rose’ used as the lady’s name and as the symbol of female sexuality
other characters’ names function both as regular names and as abstractions illustrating various
factors involved in a love affair
- shift in the 13th century from exclusively militay or heroic subjects to a more
allegorical/philosophical treatment of fin’amors
-written as a dream vision, allegory
-differences between the first part by de Lorris (purpose to entertain and to teach about the art
of romantic love) and the second written by de Meung (overview of the life in the last part of
the Middle Ages, expresses criticism against aristocracy, church, women
-hugely popular
- the origin of the word ‘roman’

Pearl, Cleanness (or Purity), Patience by the Gawain-Poet

-Patience - retells the story of the prophet Jonah
-Cleanness - a description of the virtues of cleanliness of body and the delights of married
love
-as illustration explores three defective societies
described in the Old Testament
-Pearl - the dream of a father whose two-year old daughter died, seeks for her in the image of
a pearl
- elements of medieval allegory, elegy and dream
vision genre
-the pearl - a gem, a child, a beautiful young woman, the immortal soul, the heavenly city
The shift in favour of English and its consequences
-from Richard II (1377-99) on – the shift among the ruling class towards the use of English in
all areas
-the last decades of the 14th c – period of phenomenal literary achievements
-the Gawain poet – provincial, insular writer (north and north-western England), but his
contemporaries Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400) (English) and John Gower (1330-1408)
(Latin, French, English) (London)- influenced with internationally shaped, metropolitan tastes
and style
-the shift in favour of English - changes in English society

Changes in English society

‘Three estates of men’:
the clergy, warrior- aristocracy and common people
early 14th century - changes, still rural society but cities become centres of population and
economic power
the growth of literacy and its consequences
demographic change (plague)
labour shortage, the poll-tax →Peasants’ Revolt,1381
greater social mobility

John Wyclif (Wycliffe) and the Scriptures in English

-Church also deeply affected – decline in number and quality of clergy
-John Wyclif (Wycliffe) –criticised the religious practices, institutions of his time
- called for a translation of the Scriptures in
English (the only authority in religion)
- his disciples did it in 1380s based on Latin Vulgate
(Early 5th c Latin version of the Bible)
William Langland, Piers Plowman
-the intrusion of new voices, currens of change
W. Langland (1330-1387), The Vision of Piers Plowman - a religious allegory in alliterative
verse
-three versions – A-, B- and C-texts
-little known about the poet himself
- the form of a long philosophical dream vision, or series of dreams
starts with several romance motifs: 'in a somer seson (I.1) with the wandering dreamer Will,
experiencing 'a ferly, of Fairye' (I.6)
-no romance/love vision, but theological treatise
-every kind of person in the field, ‘field of folk’
-authority/allegorical figures: Holy Church, Reason and Conscience
- Piers - composite figure, appears in different guises
-in search of answers, in particular: ‘How I may save my soul?’
-also used by Langland for social, political and spiritual commentary
-theme – the poet’s search for true Christian life in the context of medieval Catholicism
-a theological allegory
-also, a social satire (social and spiritual issues)
-realistic and allegorical elements
-the narrator called Will - referring to the author’s name but also denotes abstract ‘human
will’
-texts divided into chapters or parts – Passus (paces or steps)
-an allegorical pilgrimage – goal to attain life devoted to ‘Truth’
-the plot divided into two parts: the Visio and the Vitae
-The Visio - about everyday political and economic life
-the beginning – a cross-section of 14th c English population (Chaucer’s ‘Prologue’ to
Canterbury Tales)
-begins on a May morning
-initial dream merges into a political allegory
-a female figure of Lady Holychurch, seven deadly sins, a parade of allegorical figures
-The Vitae part – late medieval social problems
-popular text, a large number of manuscripts, popular with the rebels of the Uprising of 1381
 Piers Plowman, The Prologue (a fragment)

IN a summer season · when soft was the sun, In a somer sesun, whon softe was the sonne,
I clothed myself in a cloak as I shepherd were, I schop me into a shroud, as I a scheep were;
Habit like a hermit's · unholy in works, In habite as an hermite unholy of werkes
And went wide in the world · wonders to hear. Wente I wyde in this world wondres to here;
But on a May morning · on Malvern hills, Bote in a Mayes morwnynge on Malverne hulles
A marvel befell me · of fairy, methought. Me bifel a ferly, of fairie, me-thoughte.
I was wery, forwandred, and wente me to reste
I was weary with wandering · and went me to rest Undur a brod banke bi a bourne side;
Under a broad bank · by a brook's side, And as I lay and leonede and lokede on the watres,
And as I lay and leaned over · and looked into the waters I slumbrede in a slepynge, hit swyed so murie.
I fell into a sleep · for it sounded so merry. Thenne gon I meeten a mervelous sweven,
Then began I to dream · a marvellous dream, That I was in a wildernesse, wuste I never where;
That I was in a wilderness · wist I not where. And as I beheold into the est an heigh to the sonne,
As I looked to the east · right into the sun, I sauh a tour on a toft, tryelyche i-maket;
I saw a tower on a toft · worthily built; A deop dale bineothe, a dungun ther-inne,
A deep dale beneath · a dungeon therein, With deop dich and derk and dredful of sighte.
With deep ditches and dark · and dreadful of sight A feir feld full of folk fond I ther bitwene,
A fair field full of folk · found I in between, Of alle maner of men, the mene and the riche,
Of all manner of men · the rich and the poor, Worchinge and wandringe as the world asketh.
Working and wandering · as the world asketh.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400)

-a contemporary of W. Langland, the Gawain poet, Boccaccio, Petrarch
-period of political and social disruptions, but Chaucer’s works embodies firm sense of order
-two masterpieces ‘Troilus and Criseyde’ and ‘The Canterbury Tales’
-the natural & the human worlds interrelated, hierarchies
- ‘The Parliament of Foules’ (Fowls)
-the question of degree and of social perceptions conditioned by rank determines the human
world – also of ‘The Canterbury Tales’ - The Prologue
-the medieval society - 3 basic categories, but by the
late 14th century society layered.
economic, political and social changes
-Chaucer’s life, his work influenced by these changes
-a growing and prosperous middle class (Chaucer’s family was also middle class)
-the son of a prosperous wine merchant, childhood
spent in the mercantile atmosphere of London docks
-he received proper education, diplomatic missions in Spain, France, Italy
-worked as a civil servant - well documented, but not his literary activity
-poetry still written in French – fashionable language
-He translated ‘The Romance of the Rose’ (parts)
- ‘The Book of the Duchess’ – his first original poem, an elegy, dream vision
-his travels to Italy (1372, 1378) – the Italian Renaissance
-Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio – provided Chaucer with models of new verse, new subject
matter, new modes of representation
- Chaucer’s ‘Knight’s Tale’ based on Boccaccio’s romance ‘Il Teseida’ and his ‘Troilus
and Criseyde’ adaptation of Boccaccio’s ‘Il Filostrato’
- ‘Legend of Good Women’ (unfinished)- first experiment with a series of tales, dream
vision
throughout his life he wrote poetry, moral, religious,
philosophical works, often translations
he read French, Italian, Latin
his writings – different forms and genres, prose and poetry, French, Italian, Latin sources,
secular and religious influences
he was at the intersection of different social worlds
- different, new kind of readers

Chaucer’s ‘Canterbury Tales’

-initial plan to write 120 tales
-conceived around 1386, written during the last 14 years of his life
-the idea – saw pilgrims on their way to Canterbury
-Boccaccio’s ‘Decameron’ – a model for his tales
-Chaucer’s narrators/pilgrims – wide spectrum of ranks and occupations
-variety of tellers, diversity of tales – different in genre, style, tone, values
-the Knight’s courtly romance, the Miller’s fabliau
-Chaucer conducts two fictions simultaneously
interaction between the frame and the individual stories
-most of the tales written in verse – iambic pentameter with
rhyming couplets and some are written in prose
-different genres of medieval literature:
- chivalric romance (‘The Knight’s Tale’)
- Breton lay (‘The Franklin’s Tale’)
- fabliau (‘The Miller’s Tale’, ‘The Cook’s Tale’)
- exemplum (‘The Pardoner’s Tale)
- Arthurian romance (‘The Wife of Bath’s Tale’)
- beast fable (‘The Nun’s Priest’s Tale’)
- allegory (‘The Nun’s Priest’s Tale’, and the
whole journey into Canterbury)
- 30 pilgrims, 120 tales planned, but only 22 tales were completed, two unfinished
- different manuscripts, different order of the stories
- the Knight’s tale usually placed first, followed by his son the Squire, then the representatives
of the church (the Prioress, the Nun, priests, monk)
- the third estate – a great variety of characters: rich, middling and poor
- Chaucer – an incompetent storyteller
- a spectrum of sinful humanity on an earthly journey – prevision of and preparation for a
heavenly one
‘The General Prologue’
- characters – real and/or fictional
- realistic - the result of Chaucer’s art
- details, a sort of sketch, clues
- rarely expresses his opinion, moral judgement
- readers free to draw their own conclusions
- despite his concept of cosmic, natural and human order - he subverts certain received ideas –
The Wife of Bath
The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale
-Chaucer’s only Arthurian romance
-her pro-feminist agenda, comic interlude & wish-fulfillment (she projects herself into the
story)
-the denigration of women:
Some said women love riches best,
Some said honor, some said gaiety,
Some rich clothing, some said lust in bed,
And frequently to be widow and wedded. (II.925-928)
Some said that our hearts are most eased
When we are flattered and pleased. (II. 929-930)
-she is a rebel but also antifeminist views
The intersection of gender and genre
-set in a fairytale past (II.857-859, 863)
-superficially resembles Arthurian romance, deeply subversive of generic expectations
-widely known folk tale – transformed
-the nightmare vision of romance (II.913-14)
Female Authority
-the Prologue – unquestioned male ‘authority’
-the Tale – the hag’s pillow lecture instructing her husband (II. 1100-1)
-the nobility a gift from Christ, not inherited, disdain for
possessions, social criticism (II. 1150-1, 1155-8)
-the subtext – the Peasants’ Revolt
-the discussion of poverty, arguments conservative
-a reformer rather than a rebel like the Wife
-her discourse disruptive of patriarchal norms
- ‘happy ever after’ conclusion
-the hag’s ambivalent promise (II. 1242-4), reference to original sin
-the final shattering of the romance frame – prays for bad husbands to die (II. 1261-4)
-’the very pestilence’ no empty metaphor
-a highly irregular, parodic piece
-reservations towards the genre, or a sophisticated reshaping of it