Does Canterbury Tales Represent 14th Century Corrupt England?

By JH Sayyar

According to documentary evidence, there was no concept of realism before Chaucer in English literature. At the time Chaucer only three literary figures prominent: Gower, Langland and Wycliffe. But their entire literature was full of idealism and far away from realism. True realism starts with Chaucer’s Unfinished Canterbury Tales in the world of English literature as one critic has rightly said that Canterbury Tales show the germ of drama, novel and prose- fiction. Therefore Chaucer is a dramatist, novelist and prose fiction writer before their appearance on the literary surface.

It is a concrete fact that every writer comes under the spell of his age. As the history of English literature shows that the age of Chaucer was full of social, religious, military, and political restlessness. Chaucer exposes these evils in the Prologue in a skillful way under the name of realism. In the broader sense, Chaucer’s realism is a beautiful blend of personal experience, observation and his meeting with every type of people at his father’s wine shop because Chaucer had been a yeoman, a clerk and a soldier in his youth.

As we see Chaucer could not hide his own personality in the Prologue. Applying his mundane experience and observation he collects 29 members to be attended the annual pilgrim of St Backett. His collections of persons comprise all types of people of the whole world. Chaucer’s selected persons are these: The Knight, The Squire, The Miller, The Yeoman, The Doctor of Physic, The Reeve, The Weaver, The Monk, The Friar, The Nun, The Wife of Bath, The Merchant, The Oxford Clerk… are the persons whom habits, manners, dress and behavior are expressed by Chaucer skillfully.

Chaucer was a temperamentally realist. Therefore he starts realism with description of the Knight who loved honor, courtesy, freedom and truth as a whole he was a famous soldier and gentleman of his age. After this he introduces his son the Squire who loved hunting, dancing, and riding and love making because he was a young man of 19-year-old. As the text shows:

“To riden out he loved chivalrie

Truth and honor, freedom and courteisie

With lokkes cruller as they were leyd in pres

Syngynge he was, a floytynge al the day

He slept ne more than doothe a doothe a nytyngale”

Here we see that Chaucer himself appears under the name of the Knight, the quire and Yeoman in the Tales. First he appears under the name of the knight because he had been a soldier in his youth. Secondly, he appears under the name of the squire because he had been a philosopher in his youth. Thirdly, he had been a Yeoman in his youth also. Marshal calls the characters of the Prologue are not the phantoms of his mind but the phantoms of experience and observation of his life.

It is a startling thing that Chaucer starts realism with his own personality than he criticizes others in the prologue. He gives all types of realism in the Prologue. First of all, he portraits the physical realism of the Wife of Bath who had a gap between her front teeth that was the symbol of corruption.

As the text show:

“Gat tothed was she soothly for to saye

hHusbands at chirch door she hadde fyve”

Withouten oother compaignye in youth”

Secondly, he describes her mental realism. As the readers see that all the pilgrims were in jolly mood. And all told vulgar tales to one another while travelling to the Shrine of St Backett. Thirdly, he exposes their psychological realism of the pilgrims. They fought while travelling. Here he describes the realism of human nature. As the Doctor of Physic loved his patients just to collect gold and money from their patients and it was his life aim. As the text shows:

“For gold in phyick is cordial

Therefore he loved gold in specially”

On the other hand, the Pardoner was selling his sermons for the sake of money to Rome. The Monk who loved hunting and riding was ignoring his religious duty. Besides, Chaucer Portraits the realism of the language, here Dowden says “Chaucer’s realism was not for the 14th century but for all times and coves the whole fields of life.”

As we see

The Knight, The squire, The Yeoman represent the warlike class.

The Doctor, The Man of Law, The Oxford Clerk and Chaucer himself represents the liberal class.

The Ploughman, The Miller, The Reeve and The Franklin represent the agricultural class.

The Merchant, The sailor both represents the commercial class.

The Wife of Bath, the Weaver, the Dyer, and the Tapestry Maker represent industrial class.

The Manciple, The Cook and the Host represent the grocery class.

The Parson, The Sommoner represent the secular clergy.

The Monk The Prioress, The Priest and the pardoner represent religious class.

So we see realism in every branch of life in the Prologue. Today the doctors are collecting money, the religious people are selling their sermons for the sake of money. The gape-toothed woman is corrupt today. Other upper class is passing their time in hunting and riding forgetting their duties. Girls are selling their chastity for the sake of money. The modern Reeves are embezzling money from the custom and income tax…

To sum up, The Prologue is the picture gallery of all types of people. Here we can meet every type of people belonging to any class, living anywhere in the world. Therefore Chaucer’s realism for all times not for the 14th century only.

His realism is based on his personal experience, observation and his deduction is in the shape of the Prologue. So he has been successful in using his practical wisdom in the Prologue to expose the doings of his age in the best and expressive way. Thus the readers enjoy the tales and get information of the 14th century.