I don't know why, but for some reason The Canterbury Tales made so much more sense to me over the past week than the last time I read it. Maybe it's because I paid more attention, or care more, or simply have the first experience under my belt, what ever it is, I am very much okay with it.
That being said I still haven't quite gotten a handle on Chaucer's tone. I can't always tell when he's being sarcastic or satirical from when he's being totally serious. There are sections when I'm pretty sure I know what's going on and I turn out to be correct and there are sections when I may as well be reading a different book.
When we were reading the section on the Knight and the Squire I definitely saw the Squire as a no-good dandy, when others saw him as the picture of innocence. And I have no idea who is closer to the truth (even any of us even are close).
The new readings (at least parts) are a little easier to tell. The Parson is the good guy, no questions asked. It's easy to tell that Chaucer respects this guy (figment of Chaucer's own imagination though he may be). I didn't really pick up on any sass in his description, only heartfelt belief in his goodness and kindness. I may be totally missing the boat with this one (and wouldn't that be embarrassing) but that's where I stand with the Parson.
The Wife of Bath is probably my favorite character thus far. I don't know if Chaucer is a huge fan of her or thinks she's a nut but I've always kind of liked the lady. She's not pretty, Chaucer makes that fairly clear, but she is wealthy. Which is almost more important. I don't know if he means to shame her while mentioning her five husbands (and other companions in her youth) but I've got nothing but respect for a lady who can talk five guys into marrying her. (Albeit some of them were probably in it for the money).
When i think about Chaucers tone, I feel like the tone is straightforward. I see little emotion when Chaucer speaks about these characters. You can definitely tell when Chaucer is being sarcastic when he narrates the incidents with characters. It definitely lightens up the mood of the tale. It is already difficult to understand exactly what Chaucer is saying so the satire makes the reading interesting.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, the Parson seemed like the best one out of the bunch so far… but now the Wife of Bath has stolen the show! I think it is important to mention that her wealth and sexuality are both very important parts of her life, and for her, I think they are both ways in which she exercises feminine power. I don’t think that Chaucer brings up that she has had five husbands to shame her, but rather to propose a possible reasoning behind why she is so upfront about her thoughts and struggle to keep power over the men throughout her life, even to the point of it being obvious in her appearance.
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