Lenka
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- Joined
- May 3, 2004
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
Hello! Could someome help me and correct the mistakes I did? I hope someone will. Thanks...
Lenka
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London in about 1342. We don’t know when exactly he was born. His father, John, and his grandfather, Robert, worked in the wine business. They probably also worked for King Edward III. The family earned quite a lot of money and had a comfortable life.
When he was a young boy, Chaucer went to school in London. He then worked for an mportant lady in the king’s family. It was a very good job and he met some very interesting people.
In 1359 Chaucer was sent abroad as a soldier. He was fighting for the king against France in a part of the Hundred Years’ War. He was taken prisoner by the French near Rheims, but after a year the king paid money for his return.
When he returned to England, Chaucer worked for the king, his family and his friends, In about 1367 he married Philippa de Roet, a lady who worked for the Queen.
Chaucer was a great reader and he had an excellent memory. He learned to read Latin, French, Anglo-Norman and Italian. He knew a lot about literature, history and science.
The king often sent him to other countries on importatnt business for him. On two of these journeys Chaucer went toItaly – first to Genoa, in 1372, and then to Milan, in1378. People think that Chaucer became interested in Italian story-tellers on these journeys. He probably met the Italian writer, Boccaccio, when he was in Italy. We can be sure that he read Boccaccio’s book, the Decameron (1348-1358).
Chaucer became a rich man during this time, but in December 1386 he lost his job. John of Gaunt, the king’s son and Chaucer’s friend, left England to fight in Spain. The Duke of Gloucester took his place and he didn’t like Chaucer. He gave Chaucer’s job to his friends. So Chaucer had more time for writing, and he began work on The Canterbury Tales.
In 1389 John of Gaunt returned to England and gave Chaucer an important job again. Chaucer was growing old. He felt that his writing was getting worse. He died on 25 October, 1400, and his body was put in Westminster Abbey.
We do not know exactly when Chaucer started writing poems. It was probably when he returned from the war in France.
Chaucer wrote a lot of poems, and some of his great books are The Book of the Dushess (1369-70), The House of Fame, The Parliament of Fowls (between 1372 and 1382) and Troilius and Criseyde (between 1380 and 1385). His most famous work is The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer worked on this from 1386 or 1387, but he never finished the book.
Printing was introduced in Germany in about 1450. In 1477 Caxton made the first machine which could print in England. He printed The Canterbury Tales in 1478.
Pilgrims (for example): clerk, pardoner, knight, friar, nun, summoner, franklin, priest…
Pilgrims are people who travel to special places because they want to please God.
Substance:The book The Canterbury Tales describes a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury, the place where Thomas à Becket (a saint) was killed in a great church, so the pilgrims travel Canterbury to visit just this church.
All these pilgrims meet at a place called the Tabard Inn in London. The owner of the inn has always been very happy and tells them, during the meal, many funny stories and all the pilgrims laugh. This fat happy man gives a suggestion for all of them to stay happy – to telll stories (each person two stories) on the way. He promises: „We’ll give a free dinner to the person who tells the best story.“ All the pilgrims agrre with this suggestion and are going to let just him decide which story is the best one.
The next morning, they all get up very early and start on their journey. After a time, they stop and give their horses water. This moment, the fat man (the inn owner) says: „Now, who’s going to tell the first story? Sir Knight, will you?“ So the knight starts to tell the first story on thier journey. By the way, the knight goes to Canterbury to thank God because he is safe after a dangerous war. The knight’s tale is about Palamon and Arcite.
This book contains althogether 7 stories. I will try to describe one them, The Clerk’s Tale – Patient Griselda.
Patient Griselda
This tale is about a patient wife, Griselda. There is also a great lord Walter living in a beatiful part of Italy, who is strong, handsome, and kind to all his people. Walter isn’t yet married. As his wife he chooses a beatiful poor girl living near Walter’s house called Griselda. She also agrees with the marriadge. For a long time all Walter’s people live happily. Griselda helps poor and sick people and everyone loves her. Soon, Griselda and Walter has a baby, a little girl. Walter is afraid of that Griselda won’t love him so much because of the baby and also afraids of anything won’t be ever same, so he asks Griselda to get the child away. Griselda agrees because she loves him and also at her marriadge with him she promised him always to do what he will ever want her to do. Griselda tells the servant to give the daughter’s body under ground – she would be safe from all the animals and birds. But the servant sends at Walter’s request the daughter to Bologna, the place where Walter’s sister lives.
After some months a little boy is born. But after two years Walter wants to be sure that his wife loves him, so he decides to test her again. He goes to Griselda and tells her that the people doesn’t want Janicula’s grandson (Janicula is Griselda’s old father) to be their prince and that she has to give her child to him again. Griselda loves Walter so much that she agrees.
One day, Walter has another idea. He decides to send Griselda away and get a new wife.
Walter lets his two children, now living in Bologna, send to his place. He tells people he wants to marry his daughter (but noone knows it is his daughter) and asks Griselda to work at his palace and help to prepare for the new marriadge. As Grisleda works there, Walter finally realizes that Griselda really loves him. He asks her to forgive him and be his wife again. Griselda is so patient and still loves him, that agrees. Walter tells the true about his wo children who lived in Bologna till the while he sent them to his palace. He tells true about the marriadge with his daughter he seemed he wanted to manage (actually he only played that).
Everyone is happy and after some years, when walter dies, their son, gets to the throne instead of Walter. Janicula lives with them in the palace.
The lesson of this story is: Husbands, don’t test your wives like Walter did. They won’t be so patient as Griselda was.
Other lesson: Don’t be afraid of your husband.
My own opinion on the book: I liked this book. I like short tales. I also liked the lesson at the end of each story. The stories are interesting and it can be said that they try to solve that time and even down to this time problems.
Lenka
The Canterbury Tales
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London in about 1342. We don’t know when exactly he was born. His father, John, and his grandfather, Robert, worked in the wine business. They probably also worked for King Edward III. The family earned quite a lot of money and had a comfortable life.
When he was a young boy, Chaucer went to school in London. He then worked for an mportant lady in the king’s family. It was a very good job and he met some very interesting people.
In 1359 Chaucer was sent abroad as a soldier. He was fighting for the king against France in a part of the Hundred Years’ War. He was taken prisoner by the French near Rheims, but after a year the king paid money for his return.
When he returned to England, Chaucer worked for the king, his family and his friends, In about 1367 he married Philippa de Roet, a lady who worked for the Queen.
Chaucer was a great reader and he had an excellent memory. He learned to read Latin, French, Anglo-Norman and Italian. He knew a lot about literature, history and science.
The king often sent him to other countries on importatnt business for him. On two of these journeys Chaucer went toItaly – first to Genoa, in 1372, and then to Milan, in1378. People think that Chaucer became interested in Italian story-tellers on these journeys. He probably met the Italian writer, Boccaccio, when he was in Italy. We can be sure that he read Boccaccio’s book, the Decameron (1348-1358).
Chaucer became a rich man during this time, but in December 1386 he lost his job. John of Gaunt, the king’s son and Chaucer’s friend, left England to fight in Spain. The Duke of Gloucester took his place and he didn’t like Chaucer. He gave Chaucer’s job to his friends. So Chaucer had more time for writing, and he began work on The Canterbury Tales.
In 1389 John of Gaunt returned to England and gave Chaucer an important job again. Chaucer was growing old. He felt that his writing was getting worse. He died on 25 October, 1400, and his body was put in Westminster Abbey.
We do not know exactly when Chaucer started writing poems. It was probably when he returned from the war in France.
Chaucer wrote a lot of poems, and some of his great books are The Book of the Dushess (1369-70), The House of Fame, The Parliament of Fowls (between 1372 and 1382) and Troilius and Criseyde (between 1380 and 1385). His most famous work is The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer worked on this from 1386 or 1387, but he never finished the book.
Printing was introduced in Germany in about 1450. In 1477 Caxton made the first machine which could print in England. He printed The Canterbury Tales in 1478.
Pilgrims (for example): clerk, pardoner, knight, friar, nun, summoner, franklin, priest…
Pilgrims are people who travel to special places because they want to please God.
Substance:The book The Canterbury Tales describes a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury, the place where Thomas à Becket (a saint) was killed in a great church, so the pilgrims travel Canterbury to visit just this church.
All these pilgrims meet at a place called the Tabard Inn in London. The owner of the inn has always been very happy and tells them, during the meal, many funny stories and all the pilgrims laugh. This fat happy man gives a suggestion for all of them to stay happy – to telll stories (each person two stories) on the way. He promises: „We’ll give a free dinner to the person who tells the best story.“ All the pilgrims agrre with this suggestion and are going to let just him decide which story is the best one.
The next morning, they all get up very early and start on their journey. After a time, they stop and give their horses water. This moment, the fat man (the inn owner) says: „Now, who’s going to tell the first story? Sir Knight, will you?“ So the knight starts to tell the first story on thier journey. By the way, the knight goes to Canterbury to thank God because he is safe after a dangerous war. The knight’s tale is about Palamon and Arcite.
This book contains althogether 7 stories. I will try to describe one them, The Clerk’s Tale – Patient Griselda.
Patient Griselda
This tale is about a patient wife, Griselda. There is also a great lord Walter living in a beatiful part of Italy, who is strong, handsome, and kind to all his people. Walter isn’t yet married. As his wife he chooses a beatiful poor girl living near Walter’s house called Griselda. She also agrees with the marriadge. For a long time all Walter’s people live happily. Griselda helps poor and sick people and everyone loves her. Soon, Griselda and Walter has a baby, a little girl. Walter is afraid of that Griselda won’t love him so much because of the baby and also afraids of anything won’t be ever same, so he asks Griselda to get the child away. Griselda agrees because she loves him and also at her marriadge with him she promised him always to do what he will ever want her to do. Griselda tells the servant to give the daughter’s body under ground – she would be safe from all the animals and birds. But the servant sends at Walter’s request the daughter to Bologna, the place where Walter’s sister lives.
After some months a little boy is born. But after two years Walter wants to be sure that his wife loves him, so he decides to test her again. He goes to Griselda and tells her that the people doesn’t want Janicula’s grandson (Janicula is Griselda’s old father) to be their prince and that she has to give her child to him again. Griselda loves Walter so much that she agrees.
One day, Walter has another idea. He decides to send Griselda away and get a new wife.
Walter lets his two children, now living in Bologna, send to his place. He tells people he wants to marry his daughter (but noone knows it is his daughter) and asks Griselda to work at his palace and help to prepare for the new marriadge. As Grisleda works there, Walter finally realizes that Griselda really loves him. He asks her to forgive him and be his wife again. Griselda is so patient and still loves him, that agrees. Walter tells the true about his wo children who lived in Bologna till the while he sent them to his palace. He tells true about the marriadge with his daughter he seemed he wanted to manage (actually he only played that).
Everyone is happy and after some years, when walter dies, their son, gets to the throne instead of Walter. Janicula lives with them in the palace.
The lesson of this story is: Husbands, don’t test your wives like Walter did. They won’t be so patient as Griselda was.
Other lesson: Don’t be afraid of your husband.
My own opinion on the book: I liked this book. I like short tales. I also liked the lesson at the end of each story. The stories are interesting and it can be said that they try to solve that time and even down to this time problems.