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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page paper which examines Chaucer’s view of the clergy as reflected in the work. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGctclergy.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
existed during his lifetime in his compilation of stories, The Canterbury Tales. In his General Prologue, Chaucer makes clear his intentions to structure his tales based upon class associations
(Howard 43). First, there was the aristocratic class that consisted of the Knight, Squire, and their Yeoman (bodyguard) (Howard 44). Following thereafter was the religious or clergy class
comprised in the Tales as the Prioress [head nun of a convent] and her traveling companions, the Monk, the Friar, and the Nuns. In the General Prologue, Chaucer not
only classifies the various groups his tales will feature, but he also offers readers some insights into the types of class conflicts and differences that also existed (Howard 48).
For example, the Prioress was very much a credit to her class, "simple and coy" (119), while the Monk was "a manly man" (167) who was more interested in outdoor
pursuits than he was in prayer and church law. The religious class of the late fourteenth century was expected to adhere to a specific "ecclesiastical hierarchy" in which the
performance of their duties was defined "according to title and rank" (Cox 56, 55). For example, priests or parsons presided over their own parishes, while outside of this structure
were the minor orders that included the monks, nuns, and friars (Cox 57). Despite the appearance of order the religious class
of Chaucers time was experiencing unprecedented disorder due to the increase in Church corruption. Friars were particularly suspicious because they were able to profit from the sins of others,
and unlike the priest, were not held accountable to a secular administrative official, such as a bishop (Cox 58). In The Canterbury Tales, Chaucers rather low opinion of the
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