Intuitive Art and Inspiration: Chaucer

 Hi everybody, 

When I met my husband Sam in 2005, he introduced me to the literary figure Chaucer. Although I took a few basic literature classes during my studies Art History/Archaeology, I only vaguely recognized the name. Sam on the other hand specialized in Medieval literature and focused on Chaucer. So, I thought it would be fun to set up a little interview so he can introduce us to Chaucer.

Sam and his books about Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales, Charlestown, WV, 2018

So, hi Sam. Would you tell us who Chaucer is?

 

Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) was England’s most prominent poet of the Middle Ages. In fact, he is often referred to as the father of English Poetry and is a principle literary figure from the earlier periods of English Literature. Although literature in English appears centuries before Chaucer, in almost all cases we do not know who wrote those works, and in a few cases, we know just the name. Therefore, Chaucer is about the earliest English poet who can be identified with considerable detail.

Portrait of Chaucer as a Canterbury Pilgrim, Ellesmere Manuscript of The Canterbury Tales,
early 15th century, possibly by Adam Pinkhurst (Wikipedia Commons)

Chaucer is originally from London, where he was born to a prominent wine merchant in ca 1340. Although his family were merchants, they were well off enough to have royal connections. As a result, Chaucer spent most of his life in service as a minor official to the monarchs of his time. Chaucer was employed as a page, a military official, a diplomat, and a customs clerk. He also was a member of Parliament. When he died in 1400, he was buried in Westminster Abbey.

Chaucer's Tomb, Artwork by John Fulleylove, 1845-1908 (Wikipedia Commons)

What is Chaucer famous for?

Although Chaucer was a successful public official, he of course is most famous for his poetry, which is a substantial component of the English Literary Canon. His most famous work is the Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales written in rhyme as told by a group of fourteenth century pilgrims on their way to the Shrine of St. Thomas of Beckett in Canterbury, a famous destination for pilgrims. In the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales Chaucer describes in detail about thirty different pilgrims, each identified by their profession or other primary role; examples include the Knight, the Squire, the Monk, the Prioress, the Miller, the Merchant, or the Wife of Bath. 

Woodcut, Artist Unknown, 15th century,
General Prologue page of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (Wikipedia Commons)

After describing the group of pilgrims, Chaucer has most of them tell a tale while they travel to Canterbury. These are referred to as the Knights Tale, the Millers Tale, the Monks Tale and so forth. These range in genre from courtly romance tales like the Knight’s Tale to the churlish humor of the Miller’s Tale. Scholars focus their attention on the interaction between the pilgrims and the underlying moral, political, and religious meanings of the tales.

 

The Pilgrimage to Canterbury, Thomas Stothard (1755-1834),
1806-7, Collection Tate (Wikipedia Commons)

We visited the Museum of the Canterbury in Tales in 2015 in the UK, Canterbury. My favorite character is the Wife of Bath. Can you tell us who she is and summarize her tale for us?

 

According to the General Prologue, she comes from a weaving background, and she has outlived four previous husbands and is now on her fifth marriage. When the time comes for her to tell her tale, she begins with a prologue in which she engages in criticism of the institution of marriage as it was known in the Late Middle Ages with a lot of reference to the Bible and to other prominent religious works that were well read in her period. 

 

Sam and the Wife of Bath, The Canterbury Museum, Canterbury, Kent, UK, 2014

After this rather lengthy prologue, she tells her tale, which is set in Arthurian legend. A knight is caught raping a maiden and is brought before Queen Guinevere who has jurisdiction over his fate. She and the other ladies of the court tell him that he has one year to find out what women want most. If he cannot find that answer he will have his head removed. He spends a year traveling about the realm asking different people about what women want most, but he does not receive a consistent answer.

Illustrating Alexander Pope's rendition of Chaucer's Wife of Bath's Prologue,
The Works of Alexander Pope, Esq., 1751, Artist J. Wale, Engraver C. Mosley (Wikipedia Commons)

As the year draws to a close, he returns to Camelot to face his likely fate. Shortly before returning, he comes to a glade in a forest where a ring of women is dancing. He goes to them to see if they can help him resolve his dilemma, but they all disappear, leaving just an ugly old woman. He asks her if she can help him with his quest. She offers to do so if he will pledge himself to her. 

The Wife of Bath's Tale, 1870, Charles Cowden Clarke (Wikipedia Commons)

Later the knight and the old woman go to the court at Camelot to tell the queen and her ladies what women most desire. According to the old woman, they desire mastery over their husbands and lovers, which the queen and her ladies accept as the correct answer. They spare his life, but the old lady insists that he marries her, which although reluctant, he does. When they are together, she finds out that he is disappointed that he married such an old and unattractive woman. She asks him which he would prefer: an old crone who is loyal and good or a beautiful young woman who is unfaithful.  He tells her that she can choose whatever she thinks is best. By giving her the answer that she wanted, to choose for herself, she decides to be beautiful and good, and the two live happily ever after. 

Once a Week magazine, Volume 1, page 30, Illustration for "The Song of Courtesy",
George Meredith's take on Gawain and the Loathy Lady / The Wife of Bath's Tale, John Tenniel, 1859 (Wikipedia Commons)

Is Chaucer still important in academic circles today?

 

Chaucer is still a major subject for English Literature courses, particularly those that cover the Middle Ages or the early literary periods. Even though Chaucer is the focus of considerable scholarship, a non-specialist can get a lot out of the Canterbury Tales by reading the General Prologue and a few of the more well-known Tales. There are many modern translations if you don’t want to tackle Middle English.

Rika and Chaucer, London, Waterloo, Tube, 2006

Well, thank you Sam for sharing some information about Geoffrey Chaucer. 

 

We hope you enjoyed!

 

Much love,

 

Rika, 

and regards, from Sam