The Franklin, Sir Orfeo and the Breton lai

Does the Franklin's Tale function as a Breton lai, keeping with tradition of a lai like Sir Orfeo ? Throughout the Franklin's Tale characters like the company of each other, and the activities it generates, to a degree beyond that of most players in the Canterbury Tales. The companionship of friends, relatives, and associates is evidence that the story consciously evokes the community from which the characters emerge. Further, these characters take a clear responsibility for public opinion; consider Arveragus's "To no wight telle thou of this aventure." Most significantly, perhaps, is a social status that does not always respond to the level of aristocracy, seen especially in the role of the clerk of Orleans. In short, the Franklin's Tale addresses the concerns of an actual society in ways that are not found in most romance. The prominence of the social situation lies in Chaucer's conscious choice of the Breton lai as the genre of this tale, and for his discretion in observing the conventions of the form throughout. A closer look at social references in the extant lays strongly supports the view that Chaucer inserted them into his poem in imitation. The lays place considerable emphasis on social order as well as on human relationships. Sir Orfeo's responsibility is almost as much with the continuing well-being of the state as with recovery of the abducted queen. Equitan comes to an evil end because he neglects his royal responsibilities to woo a woman of inferior status. Similar demands of society are present in the Franklin's Tale, not just peripherally, but centrally. The social milieu detailed in this tale thus fits the social context of other Breton lais, both French and English. Is this coincidence or intent? There is compelling reason to believe that Chaucer was familiar with the lai form and that he used its social dimensions with enormous art. Chaucer is far too cautious a writer to use the term Breton lai just to induce a romantic subject matter and a geographical background. He was well aware of the ways in which the lai departed from typical romance conventions and used them easily and skillfully, embroidering in the same way, although for a different purpose, than he did conventions of the metrical love in Sir Thopas later.

Wife of Bath: An exercise in travel.

A Pilgrimage is a journey to a sacred place that is either physical or spiritual, sometimes both. In Medieval English literature characters go on expeditions that often define their character. In The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath transforms into the voice of reason and experience through obstacles and challenges that test the human condition in marriage. The conceptions that play out in her prologue and tale, this “travel” narrative, both literal and figurative are there to test the her character. In every work, the protagonist follows a path, both specific and unspecific, to improve their well-being. Moving from one place to another, either spiritually or physically, hints at a noticeable change for the person both internally and externally. In essence, the movement creates a path that the characters must follow in order to accomplish what they have been motivated toward. In due course, whether the change is expected or unexpected, the person reaches a point at which they change because of the knowledge they have gained from the experiences on the journey.

The Canterbury Tales is a set of stories recorded by Geoffrey Chaucer during an arranged pilgrimage to the tomb of Thomas a’Beckett, Bishop of Canterbury. There were to be a total of 120 stories in The Canterbury Tales; Chaucer only completed 22. Nevertheless the frame work he adopted for the stories was a plausible one. Moreover, by reporting the responses and relations that each tale evoked from all of the pilgrims, Chaucer added dramatic tension and even greater harmony to the assortment of tales. Chaucer was able to amass a diverse group of people from extensively divided social classes. This pilgrimage was an important one in the life of the church but also in the life of the sinner. The General Prologue is an introduction to the character; Chaucer is concerned with establishing the identity of each narrator. The pilgrimage begins in a little pub outside of London sometime in April when people are accustomed to taking trips of this sort. Chaucer feels obligated to tell the stories of each person truly. He feels that no one should be offended by language or content because he argues that the story-teller is telling the truth and is, in fact, confessing. In the case of the confession and the pilgrimage, The Wife of Bath tale stands out. Chaucer sets up an unusually long prologue in order for the audience to understand the impetus of her story. She is a powerful woman, who has been married five times, but her experiences within the marriages are more important than her authority; she has become anti-male. Her prologue and the tale are a combination of narration and confession. Since she has been married five times she no longer accepts male dominance over her, hence the premise of her tale. She is not apologetic for who she is; she is prepared to take communal authority over those who speak against her. Her sole purpose is sovereignty.

Her tale is a romance tale, but it is an unusual one. A boy has been charged with rape and will be put to death. The women of the court decide they were the only ones that had the right to pass judgment and punishment on this boy. So they take him to their own court where, as punishment, he must find out what women really want. For a year and a day he is allowed to wander trying to find the answer; if he is able to find out he will live, if he fails to do so he dies. He finally meets a woman so ugly he cannot ley his eyes upon her just as his time is running out. She proceeds to present him with a contract; she will tell him what all women want if he, in turn, agrees to marry her. She explains that women want sovereignty over men. She also reminds him that although he is noble he is not gentle in her sense of the word. She lectures to him about the importance of learning compassion, consideration and Christian love. The woman then presents the boy with another contract. The contract is such that she is to remain an old and ugly woman but remains faithful by his side or she becomes young, and the most beautiful woman but is unfaithful. He then leaves the decision up to her; she chooses beautiful but faithful because he was willing to sacrifice his own happiness and pleasure by learning from his mistakes. He goes back to the court a changed man, changed for the better because he was able to examine that which was essential and that which was not.

What the tale establishes is the conception that women are only truly able to exercise sovereignty through the scope of the man's allowance.

A Chaucerian Pub Joke

The Chaucer Pubbe Gagge

Three fellowes wenten into a pubbe,
And gleefullye their handes did rubbe,
In expectatione of revelrie,
For 'twas the houre known as happye.
Greate botelles of wine did they quaffe,
And hadde a reallye good laffe.
'Til drunkennesse held full dominione,
For 'twas two for the price of one.
Yet after wine and meade and sac,
Man must have a massive snack,
Great pasties from Cornwalle!
Scottishe eggs round like a balle!
Great hammes, quaile, ducke and geese!
They suck'd the bones and drank the grease!
(One fellowe stood all pale and wan,
For he was vegetarianne)
Yet man knoweth that gluttonie,
Stoketh the fyre of lecherie,
Upon three young wenches round and slye,
The fellowes cast a wanton eye.
One did approach, with drunkene winke:
"'Ello darlin', you fancy a drink?",
Soon they caught them on their knee,
'Twas like some grotesque puppettrie!
Such was the lewdness and debaucherie -
'Twas like a sketch by Dick Emery!
(Except that Dick Emery is not yet borne -
So such comparisonne may not be drawn).
But then the fellowes began to pale,
For quail are not the friende of ale!
And in their bellyes much confusione!
From their throats vile extrusione!
Stinking foule corruptionne!
Came spewinge forth from droolinge lippes,
The fetide stenche did fille the pubbe,
'Twas the very arse of Beelzebubbe!
Thrown they were, from the Horne And Trumpette,
In the street, no coyne, no strumpet.
Homeward bounde, must quicklie go,
To that ende - a donkey stole!
Their handes all with vomit greased,
(The donkey was not pleased,
And threw them into a ditche of shite!)
They all agreed: "What a brillant night!"

This joke is in answer to Erin Webb's rap post. I heard this a while ago and thought I would share. It is absolutely brilliant since it is simply a "pub joke." The three pilgrims I envision as the "three men" are the Miller, the Reeve and the Pardoner. Try reading it out loud, it's fun and challenging at the same time. Something as simple a joke in middle English sounds at once ridiculous as it is "proper."

Here is the youtube video of the stand-up comic Bill Bailey doing it's fantastic.

The Wi-Fi of Bath.

This to me seems appropriate. In the day and age in which people are obsessed with material possessions we should stop to pause and assess the situation. Whereas now husbands and wives often grapple with time spent on phones, computers, and smart phones, all the Wife of Bath wanted was a little less consternation and a little more freedom. Ahhh where time has gone.