| Literature BRIDGE 08/2010| EXTRA ARTICLES

Canterbury Tales
Satirical portrait
of medieval England

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The

Canterbury Tales rank among
The man behind the tales
the most important works in the Records about Chaucer are not detailed.
history of the English language. For example, the exact date and location
The work is celebrated by critics of his birth is not known. However,
for its vivid depiction1 of late compared to many other people from
his time quite a bit is known about his
medieval English society and its life and family. He came from a family
people. The work is also viewed of merchants, winemakers2 to be
as an early triumph of English specific. They were not wealthy but they
poetry. However, another reason were well-off* and through his father’s
why the work remains important connections, Chaucer was able to get a
job as a page*. introduced to the work of the Italian
after more than 700 years is that From these beginnings, he worked poet Petrarch. This meeting would
some of it is fun to read. as a courtier* and a diplomat. He make Chaucer aware of new forms to
also travelled to continental Europe. use in his work. Throughout his life,
It was on these trips that he was first Chaucer was an active member of the
royal court and at one time became the
comptroller3 of Customs4 of the port of
London. With all this in his life, he still
found time to write.

Middle English
If you looked at one of the surviving
manuscripts5 of The Canterbury
Tales you might have some problems
understanding it, as would most native
English speakers. The text is written
in Middle English. The spelling and
pronunciation differed greatly from6
today’s English.
For example, the word ‘when’
was spelled ‘whan’ and the ‘e’ was
pronounced at the end of words like
‘care’. There were also different forms
of past tenses and the word order was
quite different compared to modern
English. Fortunately, modern English
translations exist. These maintain7 the
rhyme and rhythm of the text, so it’s
possible for you to read and enjoy what
amused the people of England in the
Middle Ages.
 www.bridge-online.cz

The tales sneaks away to make love with Alison. and daughter have slept with the two
While they’re in bed, Alison’s other men he tried to betray19.
In the prologue, the first part of the book, admirer, Absalom, arrives. He asks her for
the reader learns that Geoffrey Chaucer a kiss from the privy vent*. Alison offers The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
himself joins a group of pilgrims at the him her bottom to kiss. When Absalom
Tabard Inn on their way to Canterbury. discovers he’s been tricked, he returns How quick wits20 can defeat pride. This
The host of the Tabard, Harry Bailey, with a red hot poker11 and asks for story has much more in common with
proposes that he join them as a guide and another kiss. This time Nicholas presents children’s fairy tales of today. A rooster21
that each of the pilgrims should tell tales. his bottom and farts in Absalom’s face. called Chanticleer* is told by a fox that
Whoever tells the best tale will win a Angry, Absalom jabs12 Nicholas with the the fox would love to hear him crow22
supper when they return. poker. Nicholas calls for water and John because he crows so beautifully. While
There are 23 tales in the book. Below thinks the flood has come and releases Chanticleer is crowing, the fox grabs
is a summary of the three which people the tub and falls to the ground, where he him by the neck and runs off with him.
are still likely to enjoy today. breaks his arm. Chanticleer outsmarts23 the fox by
telling him he should stop to tell their
The Miller’s Tale The Reeve’s Tale pursuers24 to give up. The fox does and
Chanticleer immediately flies up the
A story of young love and adultery8. A rude tale of seduction13 and revenge14. nearest tree.
The student Nicholas is in love with his A miller, Symkyn, has been stealing flour Ryan Scott (Australia)
landlord’s beautiful young wife Alison. from his clients. When two
So he and Alison can sleep together, students, John and Alan
Nicholas convinces Alison’s husband,
John, that a flood9 will come. To save
bring the college’s wheat to
be ground into flour15, they CULTURE POINT
themselves, Nicholas tells John to hang tell the miller that they are
wooden tubs* from the ceiling so they interested in learning how his Francesco Petrarca (1304 –1374),
can float away10 when the waters rise. machinery works. In reality, known in English as Petrarch, was an
When John is asleep in his tub, Nicholas they want to catch him Italian scholar, poet and one of the
stealing the flour. The miller earliest Renaissance humanists. His
suspects this and sets their sonnets were admired and imitated
horses free to show he is not throughout Europe during the
so stupid. Renaissance and became a model for
The two students ask him lyrical poetry.
if they can stay and in the
end the two students end up
in the room with the miller,
his wife, their 20-year-old
daughter and their baby son.
While the miller sleeps off16
the wine, John and Alan
plot17 revenge. Alan goes over
to the daughter and seduces
her. When the miller’s wife
goes to the toilet, John moves
the cradle18 so it’s at the foot
of his bed. In the dark, the
miller’s wife thinks this is her
bed and climbs in with John.
The 19th-century portrait of Geoffrey Chaucer
In the morning, the miller
discovers that both his wife

VOCABULARY 12 to jab [dZ&b] – píchnout

13 seduction – svádění
14 revenge [rI"vEn(d)Z] – odplata
GLOSSARY*
1 vivid depiction – živé vylíčení
2 winemaker – vinař 15 to be ground into flour – aby byla rozemleta na
well-off – able to live comfortably
3 comptroller [k@n"tr@Ul@] – kontrolor mouku
page – a personal servant to a noble person
4 customs – clo 16 to sleep off – vyspat se z něčeho
courtier – an official in the royal court
5 surviving manuscript ["m&njUskrIpt] – 17 to plot – plánovat
tub – a large container made of wood
dochovaný rukopis 18 cradle – kolíbka
privy vent – an opening which allowed people to
6 to differ from ["dIf@] – lišit se od 19 to betray [bI"treI] – zradit
go to the toilet
7 to maintain – zachovat si 20 wits – důvtip, vynalézavost
reeve – an official appointed to supervise lands for
8 adultery – cizoložství 21 rooster ["ru;st@] – kohout
a lord
9 flood – potopa 22 to crow [kr@U] – kokrhat
Chanticleer ["tSA;ntIklI@] – a personal name for a
10 to float away [fl@Ut] – odplout 23 to outsmart – přelstít
domestic cockerel
11 poker – pohrabáč 24 pursuer [p@"sju;@] – pronásledovatel