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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 7 page paper which examines the allegory in "The
Canterbury Tales" by discussing particular tales. Bibliography lists 9 additional sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: JR7_RAcant9.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
class variation is represented except the highest and the lowest. No nobility and no serfs make the pilgrimage, but the pilgrims span the whole range of the unofficial middle class"
(Anonymous Geoffrey Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 2002; ct.htm). And, although many argue that "Chaucer decided not to use allegory in his tales...leaving a memorable portrait of people as they really were,"
one can hardly read his tales without finding some form of allegory, perhaps a natural reality considering people will explicate any literature they can get their hands on (Anonymous William
Morris, 2002; morris.htm). In this particular work we find that "He makes generally structured and aesthetic references to government, social class, and the poor. He utilizes classical allusion, subtle
satire, irony and allegory to reveal societys shortcomings" (Tolisano, 2002; tolisano.htm). This was perhaps not an uncommon form of approach considering that "During the fourteenth century, the literary device of
allegory was created," presenting us with one of the most powerful reasons to argue that "Chaucer relies heavily on allegory in his stories...Chaucers overall main focus of the tales is
to give the reader an idea of the ostensible and underlying traits of human nature that were both impacted and illustrated by events during his and previous eras in history"
(Tolisano, 2002; tolisano.htm). In better understanding how Chaucer did use allegory in his tales, and the various forms his allegories took, we first examine what allegory can represent. "Allegory
is a form of extended metaphor in which objects and persons within a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. The allegorical figure exists simultaneously on
two levels of meaning--the literal one (what the figures does in the narrative), and the symbolic level (what the figure stands for, outside the narrative)" (Schwartz, 2002; gp203.html). In addition,
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