Mid-Term Paper: The Missing Tale

He who repeats a tale after a man

Is bound to say, as nearly as he can,

Each single word, if he remembers it,

However rudely spoken or unfit

INTRO: Despite being a masterpiece of English literature, The Canterbury Tales is sadly incomplete, as each pilgrim was supposed to tell two stories on the way to Canterbury, and then two on the return voyage. As it stands, we have a single story from most of the pilgrims, with some of the most memorable ones being the ones we read in class: the Knight, the Miller, the Pardoner, and the Wife of Bath. But what of their second or third tales? Considering that all of the pilgrims used stories from an older tradition (either Greek, Italian, or English tales) it’s plausible that their next tales might have dipped into the rich well of Anglo Saxon literature, some of which Chaucer may have heard in translation or even read for himself.

PROMPT: For your Mid-Term Paper, I want you to discuss which Anglo-Saxon poem one of these pilgrims would have told for their Second Tale. Only choose one pilgrim and one poem, and use both poems to explain how the tale matches some element(s) of the pilgrim’s first story. For example, The Miller might be drawn to another story which parodies chivalric love (or love in general), whereas the Knight might relish a story of old heroic deeds in pagan lands. Consider why Chaucer would choose a specific poem for a specific pilgrim, and what the teller could do with this tale, based on his or her motives for telling the first one. Analyze elements of the pilgrim’s prologue and/or tale that sheds light on some aspect of the Anglo Saxon poem, and might help us understand themes and ideas hidden in the original. In other words, how could The Wife of Bath satirize male hypocrisy in “Wulf and Eadwacer”? Or how could the Pardoner sell his relics using a poem like “The Ruin”? Be sure to re-read each pilgrim’s description in “The General Prologue” to help you get a feel for their character and Chaucer’s critique about them.

NOTE: You can use a pilgrim whose tale we didn’t read, so long as you read their tale and analyze it in the same manner as suggested above. If you want to branch out, I particularly recommend the tales of the Clerk, the Nun’s Priest, the Merchant, and the Franklin.

DOUBLE NOTE: You can slightly change the story (if you want) based on the pilgrim’s motives and inclination. However, it has to be 80% the same and the change has to make sense within the world/logic of the poem itself.

REQUIREMENTS

• 4-5 pages double spaced
• Analysis of both poems, through quotes and discussion
• MLA citation throughout, with Works Cited page for the poems
• Due Friday, September 29th by 5pm