quiz, then discuss reading yay! the powerpoint slideshow works this time! major language changes between beowulf and canterburn tales chaucer speaks our language, poetry makes sense, sounds like our language wrote in london dialect french invaders installed mational infrastructure, british class system and parliament established greatest document "doomsday book", a register of the towns, a census unified england and england to europe latin heritage of italy and france came to england old anglo saxon tone and speech pattern remainsin chaucer, however canterbury tales begins with spring, a favorite theme in poetry this is a convention, chaucer wrote for people who knew poetry, refers to learning and knowledge, like astronomy and astrology and bloodletting also a knowledge of latin in chaucer's poetry, references to roman mythos and culture some french words in canterbury tales, would be pronounced in a french accent tone of poem is civilized, belongs to a civilization nature is not cruel and punishing not set in canterbury, pilgrims never reach it london 1389 is the setting medieval england, climate was warmer then near thames river, chaucer makes himiself a pilgrim in the poem, he is a character band of pilgrims want to go by horse to canterbury, social and religious trip london was modern at this time located on tidal river main port and connection to outside world chaucer was employed at port met people from all over the world legal courts and and parliament were in london spoke "english" conquest of england was not complete, other langauges still used for literature as well he talks to us in our language chaucer's 29 characters are socially diverse(sundry folk), even powerful women 3 classes: lords, warriors, peasants first tale teller is knight, veteran of crusades, not a working man or cleric, a noble, written in high literary style with courtly love courtly love decrees that love is not merely an emotion, or a surge of teh heart or loins, it is a set of moves on either side to bring game to conclusion: marriage or adultery or nothing at all moves are codified, refined, and popularized in medieval romance in courts, these skills are refined (see arthurian legend) miller is regular working guy and is drinking all characters are stereotypes, but with irony and idiosyncrasies