Canterbury Tales Research Paper

Alexis Talbot (4-20)

C. Ramsay

English IV DE

8 September 2016

Chaucer and the Medieval Pilgrimages

Chaucer is considered to be the father of English poetry. Chaucer himself appears to be one of the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales. The pilgrims have different theories about what makes a good story. Almost all of the pilgrims introduce themselves and their tales in the prologue. In the prologue they explain who they are and why they are going to tell their tale.All of the tales that the pilgrims tell makes up one big story called "The Canterbury Tales." The Catholic church, in The Canterbury Tales, was a powerful force in society and was extremely wealthy. In the article, "The Canterbury Tales as a Microcosm of Chaucer's England" the author Chester states, "The church was one of the most powerful institutions in England..."(par 4). By the fourteenth century people became suspicious with why the church was so wealthy. Many people did not trust the church's authority because the church officials were seen as bribing and corrupt. In the article, "Chaucer's Criticism of the Catholic Church in The Canterbury Tales" the

All local masters who have a certain skill belong to the same guild. Guilds are there to have activities like brewing, sewing, acting, and cooking, just to name a few. In the article, "Medieval Guilds and the SCA" the author Gille MacDhnouill says, "A guild can help you learn a craft, or allow you to contact others with a common area of research" (par 6). There is even a song on one of the guilds called, "The Clothiers Delight." In the Canterbury Tales there was a guild including, a haberdasher, a carpenter, a weaver, a clothing dyer and a tapestry maker. Because they all belonged to the same guild they all wore the same clothes, expensive jewelry, purses, belts, and even fancy knives with handles made of