Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Characterization of Chaucer’s “The Wife of Bath” from “The Canterbury Tales”: Elements Found in the General Prologue, Prologue and Tales
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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This is a 6 page paper discussing the characterization and the portrait of “The Wife of Bath” in The Canterbury Tales. Geoffrey Chaucer’s characterization of “The Wife of Bath” in “The Canterbury Tales” begins by her elaborate description in the General Prologue which is further detailed in her Prologue, considered the longest of all the Prologues, and her Tale. The Wife of Bath, in a company of men, does not present an image of an isolated woman of the 14th century. Instead, the Wife of Bath is well traveled, well experienced in marriage having been married and widowed five times and very well practiced in her social skills and ease with other travelers. The Wife of Bath presents a 14th century feminist view within her Prologue and Tale in which she satirizes her situation and the Church in many instances. Her characterization, Prologue and Tale are well linked and framed within the rest of the Canterbury Tales as Chaucer manages to incorporate not only the pilgrims’ common situation in telling the tales but also the obvious offence each tale gives to another of the pilgrims’: an artful strategy of linking which no doubt reflects well the circumstances of the time.
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Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_TJChauc1.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
General Prologue which is further detailed in her Prologue, considered the longest of all the Prologues, and her Tale. The Wife of Bath, in a company of men, does not
present an image of an isolated woman of the 14th century. Instead, the Wife of Bath is well traveled, well experienced in marriage having been married and widowed five times
and very well practiced in her social skills and ease with other travelers. The Wife of Bath presents a 14th century feminist view within her Prologue and Tale in which
she satirizes her situation and the Church in many instances. Her characterization, Prologue and Tale are well linked and framed within the rest of the Canterbury Tales as Chaucer manages
to incorporate not only the pilgrims common situation in telling the tales but also the obvious offence each tale gives to another of the pilgrims: an artful strategy of linking
which no doubt reflects well the circumstances of the time. Geoffrey Chaucer (`1343-1400) began "The Canterbury Tales" in 1386 with the intention of completing a total of 120 stories, "two
for each pilgrim to tell on the way to Canterbury and two more for the way back" but was only able to complete 22 tales before his death (Norton 85).
The complete collection of the tales has a General Prologue which outlines his encounters with the pilgrims who tell the tales and in addition the tales also have prologues and
epilogues throughout. "The Wife of Baths Prologue and Tale" is considered by most critics to be the first tale of a group known as the "Marriage Group" consisting of the
tales of the Wife, Friar, Summoner, Clerk, Merchant, Squire and Franklin and contain mostly elements which apply to married life (Moore). The General Prologue tells of how Chaucer meets a
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