Unit Two: The Medieval Period

Opening:
Please review the Georgia Performance Standards, Essential Questions, and Key Terms listed below:

ELABLRL1.1.f: The student traces the development of British fiction through various literary periods (i.e.,Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, etc.) 

ELABLRL3.1.b.ii: The student relates a literary work to the characteristics of the literary time period that it represents (the Medieval Period). 

ELABLRL1.1.a: The student locates and analyzes such elements as language and style, character development, point of view, irony, and structures (i.e., chronological, in medias res, flashback, epistolary narrative, frame narrative) in works of British and Commonwealth fiction from different time periods. 

Essential Questions:

1. You always hear people saying, "That's ironic", but what do they mean?
2. How does literature reflect what was really going on in the world?

Key Terms:
1. The Feudal System
2. Irony
3. Frame Narrative

On your Blog:
1. After reviewing the standards, key terms, and essential questions, take a moment to write a short paragraph (3-4 sentences) explaining what you think this unit will cover.  You may also choose to provide some answers to the essential questions or rewrite some of the standards in your own words.

Mini-Lesson:
1066 is one of the most important dates in English history. In October of this year, a daylong battle near Hastings, England changed the course of history. William of Normandy, a place in France just across the English Channel, conquered King Harold of England, who was the last remaining of the Anglo-Saxon Kings. William of Normandy would now forever be known as William the Conquerer, which is fortunate since he was previously known by a name that rhymes with Billiam the Wastard. This began what is known as the Norman Conquest, and it would eventually lead to England having a single ruler, and a single language that is closer than the Old English spoken by the Anglo-Saxons to the English we speak today.


England changed drastically under William. For instance, William was able to inventory nearly every piece of property in England. He called this the Doomsday Book, and it allowed a government to tax people according to what they owned for the first time European history. William remained a duke in Normandy, which made for a alliance between England and Normandy (what we call France today). This made England a European power for the first time.

Feudalism is another one of Williams innovations that would shape the future of England. Here is a very good chart that explains the Feudal system. It does well to show what each level gave and received from the others. Feudalism operated from the king all the way down to the serfs, who were peasants who were not permitted to leave the land where they worked. Some of the most familiar figures from the Middle Ages were knights who were loyal protectors of the king.

Knights strictly obeyed a code of conduct called chivalry, which included their oath of loyalty to their overlord, rules of warfare (like never striking an opponant who was unarmed), and the adoration of a particular lady which may not have been their wife. The adoration of the lady was meant as a means of self-imporvement for the knights, and they would spend their idle hours composing poetry and songs of praise. This gave birth to a new form of poetry: the romance. Though women where highly idealized in Medieval culture, they had very few rights.


The most well-known text from the Middle Ages is Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury tales. It is the original story with this format where several people from different backgrounds are forced to share the same area. In this story, the characters are going on a religious pilgrimage, and they have a storytelling contest to pass the time on the journey. The tales are often humorous, and Chaucer uses these tales to poke fun at all levels of society.

You will be reading "The Pardoner's Tale", told by a Pardoner, who is an official of the Church in charge of hearing confessions and absolving sins.  This particular pardoner has a pretty dirty way of going about his business in that he asks people for large sums of money to hear their confessions, and also sells counterfeit religious relics (the bones of saints, pieces of Jesus' cross, etc.).  The story he tells is one that warns of greed -- can you see the irony yet?

Work Period:

Read The Pardoner's Tale, paying special attention to the fact that this is a frame narrative that has a highly ironic ending:

Frame Narrative -- a story told within another story.
Irony -- When the outcome is much different that what was expected.  Many of our jokes are based in irony because we often find it humorous when we see results we did not expect. (Verbal Irony -- Sarcasm, saying the opposite of what you mean; Situational Irony -- when something you would not expect happens, like a fireman's house burning down; Dramatic Irony -- when the audience / readers know things the characters do not)

The Pardoner's Tale

On your Blog:
2. Provide a brief summary of the tale.  Be sure to point out aspects you liked as well as those you found challenging.  This summary should be at least two paragraphs long.

3. Write a paragraph or two in which you analyze the irony in "The Pardoner's Tale".  What makes the story, and especially the ending ironic?  What did you expect when you were reading the tale.  If you had a hard time identifying the irony, you may want to spend some more time with the story (or ask for help).

Closing:
Review the Georgia Performance Standards above.  It may also help to review your interpretation of them you created in the opening.

Review your work, and explain how you have addressed these standards.  If you find that your work does not address these standards, you may need to make improvements.  Have you grasped an understanding of the key vocabulary?  Have you formulated answers to the essential questions.

Please make specific references to your work when answering these closing questions.  For instance, you should tell me exactly where in your posts I would find these things.

Self evaluate your work, and when you feel as though you have completed this work, leave me a comment on this post so I know it is time to view your work.