Themes: Satire and Critique of Corruption
Realism is not, however, reality. Chaucer made his characters memorable by drawing on literary convention as well as on his own experiences, particularly on estates satire, popular at the time. The late fourteenth century in England witnessed the rise of Lollardism, which attacked clerical corruption. The Prioress of the “General Prologue” shows kindness to animals but not to people. Both the Monk and Friar are lecherous, and the Pardoner is a charlatan who sells pigs’ bones as saints’ relics. The Reeve and Manciple grow rich by cheating their employers; the Miller steals from his customers.
Expert Q&A
Did Chaucer support or oppose the church in the 'General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales'?
After we read "the General Prologue" to the Canterbury Tales, we might think that Geoffrey Chaucer does not have a favorable opinion of the church as an institution. He compares the friar Huberd to a "master of arts or a pope." This could suggest that the pope is "artful" or evasive and deceitful. Elsewhere, he tells of an ecclesiast who seems more concerned with the church's finances than the spiritual growth of its worshipers.
What is the significance of the Wife of Bath's anti-religion stance in The Canterbury Tales?
The Wife of Bath's stance in "The Canterbury Tales" is not anti-religious but rather a flexible interpretation of scripture to justify her lifestyle. She challenges traditional biblical prohibitions against remarriage by arguing that God created women with physical needs best fulfilled within marriage, thus defending her multiple marriages. Despite her worldly nature, she demonstrates religious devotion through pilgrimages, including the journey to Thomas a Becket's shrine.
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