The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

Objectives :

• Recognize the effect of Chaucer's writing on the Middle Ages

• Read and interpret the text

• Identify characterization

• Identify and interpret imagery

• Express understanding through writing and art

• Recognize and understand literary terms

• Use research skills

               Chaucer’s importance to the Middle Ages is profound. Not only did he break away from the alliterative technique of the Anglo-Saxon period and embark on an innovative technique of open couplets, he also composed in the vernacular, the everyday language spoken in London and the East Midlands. His most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, is studied worldwide.

Browse the site http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/~chaucer/ to find interesting facts about Chaucer to share with your classmates. Add at least three to your journal under the heading Chaucer Facts.

Prepare to ride along with the pilgrims as they embark on a pilgrimage to the grave of St. Thomas à Becket. Your gathering place will be the Tabard Inn in Southwark, a borough in the south of London. Proceed to the Prologue Task to meet the others.