WIFE OF BATH’S PROLOGUE (Study questions)

Questions About Marriage

1-Judging from her arguments, to whom is the Wife of Bath's defense of marriage addressed? What might this audience have to say in response to her arguments?

2-What arguments does the Wife make in support of marriage? How do these compare with her personal reasons for marrying?

3-According to the Wife of Bath's Prologue, what are a husband's obligations to his wife? A wife's obligations to her husband? According to the Wife, has she fulfilled these obligations in her past marriages? Why or why not?

4-What do you learn from the Wife of Bath's Prologue about the arguments against marriage that were circulating during Chaucer's time?

Questions About Sex

5-In what ways is sex linked to money (or material gain) in the Wife of Bath's Prologue?

6-In what ways is sex linked to power in the Wife of Bath's Prologue?

7-According to the Wife, what is the purpose of sex? Is her use of sex consistent with this description?

8-What does the Wife take pleasure in besides sex? What does this suggest about what makes sex pleasurable to her?

Questions About Women and Femininity

9-What are the antifeminist stereotypes of women that the Wife conveys in her Prologue? What methods does she use to do so?

10-Does the Wife agree with the antifeminist stereotypes about women? Does she confirm them? Why or why not?

11-What is the Wife of Bath's advice to wise women? What does this advice suggest about her perspective on women and their status in medieval society?

12-How does the Wife of Bath's character provide an answer to the antifeminist stereotype of women as inherently less reasonable than men? What is it?

Questions About Power

13-How does the Wife of Bath gain power in her relationships? What tools does she use?

14-How is material wealth related to power in the Wife of Bath's Prologue? How is sex related to power?

15-How does the Wife demonstrate her awareness of rhetorical power, or the power of words? For what purpose does she employ this power with her audience?

16-What do you think causes Jankyn's total submission to the Wife? How does the Wife's means of gaining power in this episode compare and contrast with the methods she uses with her first four husbands?

Questions About Wealth

17-What methods does the Wife of Bath use to obtain material possessions?

18-How does the Wife of Bath's desire for sex conflict with her drive to obtain wealth? How does she reconcile these two drives, or does she?

19-How might Jankyn's lack of wealth be related to how differently the Wife gains power over him, in comparison with the methods she uses in her first four relationships?

20-In what ways are women equated with wealth and property in the Wife of Bath's Prologue?

Questions About Literature and Writing

21-How and where does the Wife employ textual "auctoritees" (authorities) to make her points? On the other hand, how does she undermine the authority of these auctoritees"?

22-Is the Wife of Bath a competent user and reader of texts? Why or why not?

23-What is the significance of the Wife's treatment of Jankyn's Book of Wicked Wives? How does this treatment compare to her treatment of textual "auctoritees" in her Prologue?

Questions About Old Age

24-What does the Wife suggest are the main effects of old age upon women? Upon men?

25-How does the Wife use her old age to build her authority?

26-What kinds of images and metaphors does the Wife use to speak about old age and aging? What does this language suggest about her perception of old age?

Questions About Love

27-How is love linked with money and economics in the Wife of Bath's Prologue? What is the effect of this connection on the Wife's attitude toward love?

28-How does having money enable the Wife of Bath to find love?

29-How does the Wife's treatment of love compare with her treatment of sex?

30-How is love linked with power in the Wife of Bath's Prologue?

General questions

1. Does the Wife of Bath seem more like a real person or a personification of stereotypes about women?
2. Does the Wife of Bath's Prologue confirm or combat medieval antifeminism? Or does it do both?
3. Is the Wife of Bath an effective rhetorician (debater)?
4. Why does the Wife spend more time talking about her relationship with her fifth husband than any other?

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The Former Age by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Former Age

	A blisful lyf, a paisible and a swete,
	Ledden the peples in the former age.
	They helde hem payed of the fruites that they ete,
	Which that the feldes yave hem by usage;
5	They ne were nat forpampred with outrage.
	Unknowen was the quern and ek the melle;
	They eten mast, hawes, and swich pounage,
	And dronken water of the colde welle.
	Yit nas the ground nat wounded with the plough,
10	But corn up-sprong, unsowe of mannes hond,
	The which they gnodded and eete nat half ynough.
	No man yit knew the forwes of his lond,
	No man the fyr out of the flint yit fond,
	Unkorven and ungrobbed lay the vyne;
15	No man yit in the morter spyces grond
	To clarre ne to sause of galantyne.
	No mader, welde, or wood no litestere
	Ne knew; the flees was of his former hewe;
	No flesh ne wiste offence of egge or spere.
20	No coyn ne knew man which was fals or trewe,
	No ship yit karf the wawes grene and blewe,
	No marchaunt yit ne fette outlandish ware.
	No trompes for the werres folk ne knewe,
	Ne toures heye and walles rounde or square.
25	What sholde it han avayled to werreye?
	Ther lay no profit, ther was no richesse;
	But cursed was the tyme, I dare wel seye,
	That men first dide hir swety bysinesse
	To grobbe up metal, lurkinge in derknesse,
30	And in the riveres first gemmes soghte.
	Allas, than sprong up al the cursednesse
	Of coveytyse, that first our sorwe broghte.
	Thise tyraunts putte hem gladly nat in pres
	No wildnesse ne no busshes for to winne,
35	Ther poverte is, as seith Diogenes,
	Ther as vitaile is ek so skars and thinne
	That noght but mast or apples is therinne;
	But, ther as bagges ben and fat vitaile,
	Ther wol they gon, and spare for no sinne
40	With al hir ost the cite for to asayle.
	Yit was no paleis-chaumbres ne non halles;
	In caves and wodes softe and swete
	Slepten this blissed folk withoute walles
	On gras or leves in parfit quiete.
45	Ne doun of fetheres ne no bleched shete
	Was kid to hem, but in seurtee they slepte.
	Hir hertes were al oon withoute galles;
	Everich of hem his feith to other kepte.
	Unforged was the hauberk and the plate;
50	The lambish peple, voyd of alle vyce,
	Hadden no fantasye to debate,
	But ech of hem wolde other wel cheryce.
	No pryde, non envye, non avaryce,
	No lord, no taylage by no tyrannye;
55	Humblesse and pees, good feith the emperice.
	Yit was not Jupiter the likerous,
	That first was fader of delicacye,
	Come in this world; ne Nembrot, desirous
	To regne, had nat maad his toures hye.
60	Allas, allas, now may men wepe and crye!
	For in oure dayes nis but covetyse,
	Doublenesse, and tresoun, and envye,
	Poyson, manslawhtre, and mordre in sondry wyse.

Explicit Etas Prima. Chaucers.

The Former Age (Translation into Modern English)

A blissful life, peaceful and sweet, people led in the former age. They remained content with the fruits they ate, which the fields always gave them. They were not pampered with excess. Unknown were the quern and the mill; they fed on nuts, haws and such mast, and drank water from the cold spring. As yet the ground was not wounded by the plough, but corn sprang up not sown by man's hand; this they rubbed to meal, and ate not half they desired. No man had yet seen the soil turned in furrows, nor found the fire in the flint; the vine lay unpruned and uncultivated, no man as yet ground spices in a mortar to put in wine or sharp sauces. No dyer knew madder, weld or woad, the fleece remained in its first hue; no flesh knew the attack of knife or spear; man knew no coin, good or bad; no ship yet cut the green and azure waves; no merchant yet fetched foreign wares.

People knew no trumpets for the wars, no high towers and walls square or round. Of what purpose is there to make war? There lay no profit, there was no booty. But cursed was the time, I dare well say, when men first did their sweaty diligence to grub up metal which lurks in the dark, and first sought gems in the rivers. Alas, then sprung up all the accursed covetousness which first brought in our sorrow! These tyrants are not glad to put them in the press of battle, as Diogenes says, to win a wilderness or a few bushes where poverty dwells, where food is so scarce and poor that nothing is there but mast or apples. But where money-bags and fat meats are, there they will go and spare for no sin to assail the city with all their host.

As yet were no palace halls or chambers. In caves and woods sweet and soft slept these blessed people in perfect peace, on grass or leaves, protected by no walls. Down of feathers, and bleached sheets, were not known to them, but in security they slept. Their hearts were as one, with no spot of soreness, and each kept his faith to other. The hauberk and the plate-mail were yet unforged. The lamb-like people, void of all sin, had no fantasy to contend against each other, but each cherished another tenderly. No pride was there, or envy, avarice, lordship, tyrannical taxation, but humility, peace, and good faith, the empress of all virtues. Jupiter the wanton, first father of delicate living, was not yet come into the world; nor had Nimrod, with lust of rule, built his lofty towers. Alas! alas! Well may men now weep and lament. For in our days is nothing but covetousness and duplicity, treason and envy, poisoning, manslaughter, and many kinds of murder.

Here Ends The Former Age of Chaucer.

THE CANTERBURY TALES (YouTUBE)

EPIC (https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_E.html)

EPIC: An epic in its most specific sense is a genre of classical poetry. It is a poem that is (a) a long narrative about a serious subject, (b)told in an elevated style of language, (c) focused on the exploits of a hero or demi-god who represents the cultural values of a race, nation, or religious group (d) in which the hero's success or failure will determine the fate of that people or nation. Usually, the epic has (e) a vast setting, and covers a wide geographic area, (f) it contains superhuman feats of strength or military prowess, and gods or supernatural beings frequently take part in the action. The poem begins with (g) the invocation of a muse to inspire the poet and, (h) the narrative startsin medias res (see above). (i) The epic contains long catalogs of heroes or important characters, focusing on highborn kings and great warriors rather than peasants and commoners. J. A. Cuddon notes that the term primary epic refers to folk epics, i.e., versions of an epic narrative that were transmitted orally in pre-literate cultures; the term secondary epic refers to literary epics, i.e., versions that are actually written down rather than chanted or sung (284). Often, these secondary epics retain elements of oral-formulaic transmission, such as staggered intervals in which the poet summarizes earlier events, standardized epithets and phrases originally used by singers to fill out dactylic hexameters during extemporaneous performance, and so on. The term epic applies most accurately to classical Greek texts like the Iliad and the Odyssey. However, some critics have applied the term more loosely. The Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf has also been called an epic of Anglo-Saxon culture, Milton's Paradise Lost has been seen as an epic of Christian culture, and Shakespeare's various History Plays have been collectively called an epic of Renaissance Britain. Other examples include Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered and the anonymous Epic of Gilgamesh, which is the oldest example known. Contrast withmock epic. See epic simile below. Click here to a download a PDF handout discussing the epic's conventional traits. EPIC HERO: The main character in an epic poem--typically one who embodies the values of his or her culture. For instance, Odysseus is the epic hero in the Greek epic called The Odyssey--in which he embodies the cleverness and fast-thinking Greek culture admired. Aeneas is the epic hero in the Roman epic The Aeneid--in which he embodies the pietas, patriotism, and the four cardinal virtues the Romans admired. If we stretch the term epic more broadly beyond the strict confines of the Greco-Roman tradition, we might read Beowulf as loosely as an epic hero of Beowulf and Moses as the epic hero of Exodus. See epic above, and avoid confusing the epic hero with thetragic hero. See also the Russian equivalent, the bogatyr.

Elegy

https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_E.html

ELEGY: In classical Greco-Roman literature, "elegy" refers to any poem written in elegiac meter (alternating hexameter and pentameter lines). More broadly, elegy came to mean any poem dealing with the subject-matter common to the early Greco-Roman elegies--complaints about love, sustained formal lamentation, or somber meditations. Typically, elegies are marked by several conventions ofgenre: (1) The elegy, much like the classical epic, typically begins with an invocation of the muse, and then continues with allusionsto classical mythology. (2) The poem usually contains a poetic speaker who uses the first person. (3) The speaker raises questions about justice, fate, or providence. (4) The poet digresses about the conditions of his own time or his own situation. (5) The digression allows the speaker to move beyond his original emotion or thinking to a higher level of understanding. (6) The conclusion of the poem provides consolation or insight into the speaker's situation. In Christian elegies, the lyric reversal often moves from despair and grief to joy when the speaker realizes that death or misfortune is but a temporary barrier separating one from the bliss of eternity. (7) The poem tends to be longer than a lyric but not as long as an epic. (8) The poem is not plot-driven. In the case of pastoral elegies in the 1600s, 1700s, and early 1800s, there are several other common conventions: (1) The speaker mourns the death of a close friend; the friend is eulogized in the highest possible terms, but represented as if he were a shepherd. (2) The mourner charges with negligence the nymphs or guardians of the shepherd who failed to preserve him from death. (3) Appropriate mourners appear to lament the shepherd's death. (4) Post-Renaissance poets often include an elaborate passage in which flowers appear to deck the hearse or grave, with various flowers having symbolic meaning appropriate to the scene.

MYTH

MYTH: A kind of story or rudimentary narrative sequence, normally traditionally and anonymous, through which a given culture ratifies its social customs or accounts for the origins of human and natural phenomena, usually  in supernatural or boldly imaginative terms.

The term has a wide range of meanings, which can be divided roughly into “rationalist” and “romantic” versions: in the first a myth is a false or unreliable story or belief (mythical), while in the second, “myth” is a superior mode of cosmic understanding (mythic). In most literary contexts, the second kind of usage prevails, and myths are regarded as fictional stories containing deeper truths, expressing collective attitudes to fundamental matters of life, death, divinity and existence (sometimes deemed to be universal).

Myths are usually distinguished from legends in that they have less of a historical basis, although they seem to have a similar mode of existence in oral transmission, retelling, literary adaptation and allusion.

A mythology is a body of related myths shared by members of a given people or religion, or sometimes a system of myths evolved by a by an individual writer as in the “personal mythologies” of William Blake and W.B. Yeats. The term has also been used to denote the study of myths.

The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms  Chris Baldick

MYTH: While common English usage often equates "myth" with "falsehood," scholars use the term slightly differently. A myth is a traditional tale of deep cultural significance to a people in terms of etiology, eschatology, ritual practice, or models of appropriate and inappropriate behavior. The myth often (but not always) deals with gods, supernatural beings, or ancestral heroes. The culture creating or retelling the myth may or may not believe that the myth refers to literal or factual events, but it values the mythic narrative regardless of its historical authenticity for its (conscious or unconscious) insights into the human condition or the model it provides for cultural behavior.

http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/lit_terms_M.html

Welcome to the 2015 Literature Course

Dear students,


Welcome to the Literature I course! 

This year we are going to study texts belonging to the oldest tradition within the English culture and although this will mean to make a big effort, I am sure it will be an enriching experience from which you will derive great pleasure. As the challenge lying ahead is such, you are expected to read extensively and to have  an active role in the class.

Wishing you the very best for this academic year.

Isabel