Literature Help

[Omar]

I'm currently home schooling and I'm almost done. All I have left is two literature books. I have to teach myself and I'm not very good with literature. I was wondering if I could post questions in this thread whenever I have problems.

[shortysweetp]

who are the books by?

[Omar]

who are the books by?

It's those books that have a lot of stories in them. Like the ones you use in high school. Currently, I'm having problems understanding parts of The Canterbury Tales.

[Nightshade]

ahhh are you studying the cantabry tales in the original format??
and what tales are you doing??

[Omar]

ahhh are you studying the cantabry tales in the original format??
and what tales are you doing??

What do you mean by format? And what I have have to do is answer some questions.

Like these...

Which one of the pilgrims lives for for pleasure? From what I can understand, it's the Franklin.
Their are like 3 more questions that I'm stuck on, then I have to go answer questions on "Sir Patrick Spens"

[Nightshade]

I mean that the text you are given is it wrriten in original chaucer version (middle english) or in a modern english translation.

You could google for answers.

[Omar]

I think it's simplified as I can understand it.

If you could help, I'm having problems with the following questions.

Who is the is the Pardoner's companion on the journey? I couldn't find out who was the one joining him.

And I'm stuck on which four pilgrims are the most virtuous. My guess is the Knight, the miller, and I'm still trying to find out who are the other two.

[Nightshade]

this link might help you
http://712educators.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=712educators&zu=http://www.litrix.com/canterby/cante001.htm

[Sitaram]

I think it's simplified as I can understand it.

If you could help, I'm having problems with the following questions.

Who is the is the Pardoner's companion on the journey? I couldn't find out who was the one joining him.

And I'm stuck on which four pilgrims are the most virtuous. My guess is the Knight, the miller, and I'm still trying to find out who are the other two.

I am not sure if this is the correct answer:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/section3.rhtml


The Pardoner, who had just been in the court of Rome, rides with the Summoner. He sings with his companion, and has long, flowing, yellow hair. The narrator mentions that the Pardoner thinks he rides very fashionably, with nothing covering his head. He has brought back many souvenirs from his trip to Rome. The narrator compares the Pardoner’s high voice to that of a goat, and mentions that he thinks the Pardoner might have been a homosexual. The narrator mocks the Pardoner for his disrespectful manipulation of the poor for his own material gain. In charge of selling papal indulgences, he is despised by the Church and most churchgoers for counterfeiting pardons and pocketing the money. The Pardoner is a good preacher, storyteller, and singer, the narrator admits, although he argues it is only because he cheats people of their money in that way.

[Omar]

this link might help you
http://712educators.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=712educators&zu=http://www.litrix.com/canterby/cante001.htm

Thanks, but that's more text then the version that I'm reading.

[Sitaram]

http://www.history-compass.com/images/store/HICO/chapters/466.pdf

In the Canterbury Tales, the most virtuous of the pilgrims are those who perform the labours of the three traditional estates:

the Knight, who has fought on crusade for God and the true faith (I:43–78); the Parson, who is a good shepherd to his flock (I:477–528); and his brother,
the Plowman, a true worker who lives in charity with his neighbours (I:529–41).

As Chaucer’s Parson concludes, heaven is given to those that will labour, ‘and nat to ydel folk’ (X:716). Even the Lollard text Jack Upland (early fifteenth century) adopted the traditional conception of society when, following Wyclif, it presented the ideal tripartite division of society as an analogy for the Holy Trinity itself: the lords who provide justice represent the power of the Father; the priests who preach and pray represent the wisdom of the Son; and the commons who labour to support themselves and the other estates represent the good will of the Holy Ghost

[Omar]

I am not sure if this is the correct answer:

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/section3.rhtml


The Pardoner, who had just been in the court of Rome, rides with the Summoner. He sings with his companion, and has long, flowing, yellow hair. The narrator mentions that the Pardoner thinks he rides very fashionably, with nothing covering his head. He has brought back many souvenirs from his trip to Rome. The narrator compares the Pardoner’s high voice to that of a goat, and mentions that he thinks the Pardoner might have been a homosexual. The narrator mocks the Pardoner for his disrespectful manipulation of the poor for his own material gain. In charge of selling papal indulgences, he is despised by the Church and most churchgoers for counterfeiting pardons and pocketing the money. The Pardoner is a good preacher, storyteller, and singer, the narrator admits, although he argues it is only because he cheats people of their money in that way.

Thanks, that just what I need. I read the analysis on the bottom of that page and it also said that the Summoner is his companion. The Paradoner's tales is right after the Summoner's tale. The paradoner's tales starts with "He and a gentle Paradoner ride together." So it all make sense. Thanks.

[Sitaram]

http://forum.objectivismonline.net/index.php?showtopic=481&pid=35548&st=0&#entry35548

Clerk’s tale is about a virtuous woman, one even more virtuous than the Clerk would advise. And he follows the tale with a hymn to all women. So much for the Wife of Bath’s claim that clerks speak only ill of women.

On the other hand, when one considers the overarching plot, the Clerk seems to confirm the effectiveness of the Wife of Bath’s practices. For the Wife of Bath tells in her Prologue of her practice of railing against her husbands, even the good and guiltless ones. Her claim that no clerks ever speak well of women, said with the Clerk listening, is one of her characteristic scoldings. The Clerk takes the bait. His hymn to the Wife of Bath goes so far as to ask God to ensure that women continue to hold mastery over men, thus confirming the Wife of Bath’s ethical lesson in explicit terms. His almost apologetic praise of women and his odd confirmation of the Wife of Bath’s ethical lesson both indicate that she has succeeded in bending him to her will. Just as The Miller’s Tale is an action with The Reeve’s Tale as its effect, so too is The Wife of Bath’s Prologue an action with The Clerk’s Tale and his praise of women as its effect. This shows that the Wife of Bath is effective in bringing about what she desires; but it does not show that the effect she brings about is a positive one. Nor does it show, as a consequence, that the cause, her ethical lesson, is a virtuous one.