THE CANTERBURY
Sources:
The Canterbury Tales
is influenced by
1. the dream vision of Roman de la Rose (the spring opening
as a prelude to a debate, the emblematic significance of the personification)
2. estates satires, though it is difficult to say for
certain which of these Chaucer knew. Probably he had read the Latin and the
French satires included by his friend John Gower in his Vox Clamantis. The Mirrour de
l’omme and the French Roman de
Carite are influential. Langland's Vision
of Piers Plowman is a direct model for the A-text. Both have ideal
ploughmen, thriving merchants, priests who ran off to London chantries to sing
for silver, friars who wear fineries and absolve sinners for cash, a venal pardoner,
rich sergeants-at-law, a group assorted citizens, mostly cloth workers c.f the
haberdasher, dyers and tapicere, even the Wife.
3. Boccaccio's Decameron has been cited to be one of the
sources, but has not been confirmed.
4. Novelle,
by Giovanni Sercambi.
THEMES:
• The most famous theme that runs across many tales is
women’s role in marriage, is part of a larger theme of sexual love and the role
of women in the world
• Questions about fortune and providence
• The suffering of the innocent
• What men and women most desire, the choices they make and
the intention behind these choices
• Love
• The nature of friendship
• The good ruler
• Good living
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