On Saturday, November 19, 2011, Emily Vail, Maren Wilke, and Luke Wiseman presented “In this mery companye: Reading, writing, and playing through Canterbury” at the NCTE National Convention in Chicago, Illinois.
You will find the Goggle Docs Folder with all of our documents linked…
Here, find the script for our final dinner’s entertainment:
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Our Pilgrimage
Whan in July with her scorching sune
Our teaching courses long since done
We gan our pilgrimage to Londontowne
To meet you two—in Chaucer world—RENOWN!
And we found the eight and twenty mansiouns
For sleeping not and capyng at the moone.
And on the morwe ful tired, in agonye
“Help us, Seinte Starbuck!” We al did crye.
In classe we brought you tribulation
With sad attempts at translation
With patience greeted you our unlearned speech
And like the clerk you said “We gladly teeche”!
From nine to noone we wyrked in Mile End
Good chier accompanied us as we did wende
From tale to another to and fro
Virgins, maidens, cockes, and fabliaux.
The knight brought us a tale of courtly love
And there our minds we turned to thoughts above
But fecal humor did consume our thoughts
A longe time did we speak of the buttocks.
And here, in fragment two, we part from regular meter brought to you by Melibee:
As Susanna once said punning delights in the play of language,
It is the work of true genius like Geoff to hone the art of word usage.
“He could not cozen his cousin” is tired, old, not quite as queynte
As Chaucer’s “hende,” his “wo man,” “ful seemly” and his “queyente.”
And onto fragment three…
David and his hats came to our heath
And knowledge to us all he did bequeath
Susanna through her wit and artistry
Translated all the tales so parfitly!
Our days were spent (how they did flye)
In parfit leyser and heigh fantasye.
At night, gon we to pleys and sundry thinges
Swich as dauncing, but mostly readings.
Susanna leading finely at the front
To sites medieval here and yon to hunt.
Journeying in fairest compainye
David made sure we were in tow in courteisie.
With Falstaff and Hal we spent an evening,
Full stonding we learned of Lancaster cleaving.
The story full of battles and grandeur
But Priapus at the start made us voyeurs.
Spiced ale dronke we, and ful wel we eet
Say you twere sepulture of oure wit?
We gathered in our full diversity
Of art and song such full variety.
Sith we are sely pilgrims at our wittes ende,
I darn nat tellen of oure wilde weekends–
Our gentilesse will not permit this tale
For Luke’s blogge well certes may tell alle
At Senate House we went to fondle books
While there Ms. Attar gave us dirty looks
A wyse thought that was said by ASG:
“No limit to mankind’s stupidity.”
Our clerkes took our invitacion
To eat, to drink, with conversation
To kitchene nine anon you both did wende
A lovely berry torte was in your hende.
One morn we mounted Red Wing, splendid coache.
And gan our journey with our hende hostes.
First to Rochester wende we to pleye
For some perhaps the very finest daye
We took the castle with sword and courteisie
And found a four star loo where we did pee
You two knoweth taverns in every towne.
Eek tea houses, so there we satteth downe.
Churches, castles, tombstones we did see
Before we goon to Canter-ra-buryea;
At nyght we came for certe we were not meek
The holy blissful Parrot for to seek.
Returned we to oure paradise
Inspired by the martyr’s sacrifice.
One weeke remained, to pricketh toward the trouthe
Ful sweaty we were building up a frothe
Enlightened by our David’s Chaunticleer
And cooing Pertolote, his lady deere.
And so we leave Mile End with heavy hertes
Trusting Lady Fortune—who is the smartest—
To bring together again our compaignye.
We want to thank you for your curteisey.
Lo! How we pleyd and reed greet werkes,
Finding sentence and solaas like sotile clerkes.
Our pilgrimage is doon, an there is namo,
For oon month han we parfit blisses two.
After nearly 25 hours of travel (and waiting), I’m home again. I would imagine we have all returned (but Cat who is visiting Edinburgh) home.
The day has been mixed with happiness and reunion and a bit of the sinking-stomach feeling of missing the routine and people who have occupied my life for the last four weeks.
12.August.2010 (Evening)
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This evening, our final dinner with David and Susanna + 16 at the Noor Jahan2. Yummy Indian Food with plenty of libation.
The mood was genial. We “performed” a mock-prologue (script forthcoming) organized by Maren and scripted by our compatriots.
We honored Susanna and David (who have honored us so often, the purfit hostes) to dinner and gifts.
After dinner many headed to the Victoria where things began to “unravel.”
13.August.2010
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And so we’ve reached the end of this journey…
The Parson’s Tale brings us full circle: again, the tree with its roots. The Parson’s is a root system of penitence from which springs the tree of life. The fruit, the seeds, the leaves, the branches all remind us of our first day.
And the retraction, perhaps, mirrors our own good intentions: we have done our best, if we have offended, please forgive. We are, after all, like Chaucer, human.
I think we’re ready to go, perhaps a bit sad to sever the connections we’ve grown so fond of.
Before the end of class today we “voted” on our Favorite and Least Favorite tales, and the ones with the Most Sentence and Solaas:
Favorite: Nun’s Priest’s Tale (5 votes), Wife of Bath’s Tale (3 votes), Knight’s Tale (2 votes), Miller’s Tale, Merchant’s Tale (2 votes), Manciple’s Tale (2 votes), Franklin’s Tale (3 votes), Canon Yeoman’s Tale (1 vote).
Least Favorite: Physician’s Tale, Parson’s Tale, The Tale of Melibee, Canon Yeoman’s Tale
Sentence and Solaas: Pardoner’s Tale (3 votes), Nun’s Priest’s Tale (7 votes), Knight’s Tale (4 votes), Wife of Bath’s Tale (2 votes), Miller’s Tale (Susanna’s choice)
Most Teachable: Monk’s Tale (teach vignettes), Manciple’s Tale (interesting discussions), Clerk’s Tale (good debates), Franklin’s Tale, Reeve’s Tale.
12.August.2010
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Today we finished up the Canon Yeoman’s Tale. David suggests that perhaps the Yeoman’s tale with all its elemental (and base) alchemical imagery could be read as a metaphor for the artist’s (perhaps Chaucer’s) work. The artist takes the “dung and pysse” of the world and attempts (sometimes not so successfully) into a new form.
This is an interesting lens through which to read this tale, while others (including Susanna) prefer to read the tale more literally about an alchemist and his Yeoman.
However we choose to read it, there is a darkness and deception that surrounds that tale.
Maren suggested that when considered against the Nun’s Priest’s Tale, perhaps the Tales also contain a message about audience reception.
Nate wondered about approaching this tale through eco-criticism. According to David and Susanna, this is unexplored territory with this Tale. Potential dissertation, Nate?
Suggested film to pair with this tale: The Prestige.
We moved on to the Manciple’s Prologue and Tale. The Prologue seems to expand the “work” of the prologue as he includes a bit about the drunk Cook, who is, alas, unable to tell a tale. The Pilgrims pick the Cook up after he has fallen off a horse (horse and rider figure into symbolic idiom: passion and reas0n), perhaps suggesting that without others, the pilgrimage cannot be completed.
The Prologue ends with the Host and Manciple discussing words and how they can harm. There is also the contrast between the praise the Host gives Bacchus, and the Tale the Manciple tells about Apollo.
The Manicple’s tale is ultimately about the effects of words—a crow’s words—on Apollo.
The Manciple seems rhetorically duplicitous as he uses both high and low registers to tell his story—lemmen with lady, monting gnat, swyve. He seems to know better, even apologizes for the coarseness, but then continues.
Interestingly, it is the crow who speaks both “bird” and “English” who is the agent of catalyst for Apollo losing his reason, murdering his wife, and turning the crow black.
What is in other works an origin story, in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales becomes a multi-leveled, multi-valenced, narrative about the tensions between man and beast (eco-critcism—perhaps the crow never wanted to learn to speak in the first place; perhaps the crow just wanted out of his cage), between husband and wife (the wife is “caged” like the bird), between reason and passion, and the fissures between language and deed.
This afternoon Emily, Lee, Maren, Fran and I went to see a wonderful performance of Into the Woods in Regents Park. Intermittent rain made the outdoor performance…interesting…especially without a slicker. And then headed to our final dinner.
11.August.2010
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My favorite thing today is Mary Kay’s Pac-Man red ghost broach and Fran’s fancy new white and black dress.
My next favorite thing was class where we discussed the Second Nun’s Tale as well as the Canon Yeoman’s Tale.
My least favorite thing is that our time in London with Susanna and David is almost over.
The Second Nun’s Tale is a serious tale of hagiography describing the works of St. Cecilia. It is an interesting and curious tale to look at in relation to (1) other women pilgrim’s tales (Wife of Bath and Prioress) and/or (2) other serious religious tales (Name of Law’s Tale and Prioress).
We spent quite a bit of time comparing the Prioress’ prologue to the Second Nun. While there is a certain reverence for Mary in both, the Prioress and Second Nun clearly differ in their approach and “personal” understanding. The Prioress’ understanding seems to be perhaps more “simplistic” and hegemonic, whereas the Second Nun seems to “own” the complicated nature of Mary as wife, mother, daughter of the triune God (son, holy spirit, God).
Similarly when set against the Prioress’ Tale, the Second Nun’s tale gains depth and grit. Cecilia is portrayed as a serious, earnest, almost pushy didacticism compared to the Prioress’ pathetic Christian boy killed by Jews.
Interesting also is that Cecilia causes Almachius to become “naked” through her rhetoric (thanks Emily for pointing this out!). And although Almachius tries, he is unable to torture or kill her until the third day, when she is ready. Her head will not be severed from her body, the boiling bath only makes her cool.
The Canon Yeoman’s Tale presents us with an interesting interruption in the tale. In comes a rider in black with white surplice. He is shifty and perhaps a con. Is he Satan (also portrayed as a yeoman or some other intercessor). The tale the Yeoman tells is of an avaricious alchemist who cannot quite get things to work. Is the tale metaphor for science? Or a metaphor for the transformative act of art…Hopefully we’ll get to finish this discussion tomorrow.
8.August.2010
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The Welsh are a beautiful people, ancestors of the Celts. They are proud of their language and heritage. It is surprising to me how similar the topography is to the Appalachian area of the US. Perhaps that is why so many immigrated there when they crossed the pond.
The history of the Welsh is one of persistence. Present day Wales it the result of English aristocracy pushing the commoners west, toward less fertile ground. The English kept the abundant and easily arable ground east of the Severn River, while they pushed, beheaded and bribed the Welsh onto their small country. Looking at the beautiful hills, though, one could imagine that it is the Welsh who have “won.”
Peter Budgen (of Pentdragon Tours) picked me up at the Courtfield Hotel at 9.30. We headed to Cardiff Bay, a quick look at the New Opera House and a brief history of Cardiff. It became an important coal port in the 19th century. The man who made started making Cardiff what it is today is John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute.
On our drive away from Cardiff, Peter pointed out southern islands—Flat Holm and Steep Holm—used first by the Viking invaders and then later by the murderers of Thomas a Beckett to hide after they had committed their deed.
Then we were off to Caerleon Amphitheatre (Caer is the Welsh word for war or military), one of the first Roman military outposts in Briton. There I saw the ruins of an ancient amphitheatre and the Roman Barracks where soldiers slept.
Next to Caerwent where Roman mercenaries, after serving their 20-year time, “retired.” There I saw sheep (there are over 10 million sheep and under 4 million people populating Wales). I also had my first Welsh cat and rooster sighting.
Along the Wye, next we ended up at Chepstow Castle in the border town of Chepstow. The English built a castle along with a wall to keep the Welsh in their place. Chepstow’s castle is the second Norman castle to be built (after the Tower of London) in Britain.
We drove through Dean’s Forest—the hunting grounds of King John I. We had a Ploughman’s lunch at Georges in Briavels. Briefly toured the Hunting Lodge (John I’s) in Briavels and the small Parish Church of St. Brivaels.
Next to Tintern Abbey where I marveled at the hugeness of this once-magificent building. It was torn down and abandoned as part of Henry VIII’s dissolution of the Catholic abbey, cloisters, and church.
Next to Raglan Castle, a bit more stately and comfortable than the castle in Chepstow.
Back to Cardiff to visit the WWI monument and then to the bus station home.
My tour of Southern Wales was superb, and I will certainly be back.
Tuesday, 10.August.2010
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Today began a little “off” as I was unable to get to class the “usual” way. Electricians had blocked the doors, so I ended up on the stairs that lead nowhere and had to take the “long” way on a day when it was raining.
This did not bode well nor did covering 4 tales in 4.5 hours, but perhaps it was the food that David provised or the precious reading of the Nun’s Priest’s Tale while David played the part of preening Chanticleer or the excellent presentation by Sue and Cat on the Monk’s tale that made us feel like we were in good companye.
While the Monk’s Tale seems like a cataloguing of all the ways life can go wrong, Sue and Cat presented it as a register of Lady Fortune’s whimsical purview. The Monk defines “tragedy” briefly in lines 1973-1977, 1991-1994, and the subtitle.
After setting up the lens for reading this as a tragedy, Cat provided background on Boethius—specifically The Consolation of Philosophy (roughly paraphrased: When one problem is removed, another arises. This brings about many questions. What causes these problems? Providence? Chance? Unpredictability of human chance? Desire? Human knowledge? Free will?—we charted each vignette’s demise. Who is at fault? Lady Fortune (medieval model)? Or human hamartia (classical model)?
This was an excellent way to get at and into this tale and to bring about discussion. There was much more to discuss—the monk tells a “monkly” tale, but we don’t expect it given Chaucer’s portrait of him in the General Prologue. Another question: Women in the Monk’s Tale?
Next, the Nun’s Priest’s Tale. After hearing Susanna read and David perform, I official LOVE this tale. The barren widow (with her two daughters) contrasted with this fancy Chanticleer (the only “male” on the entire farm)—I don’t know why I hadn’t made this connection—brings to mind the Priest’s role in the convent. FYI: The Nun’s Priest is necessary in the convent to perform mass and hear confessions. This is interesting in itself: to see the teller reflected so cleverly in the tale.
But what makes this tale so amusing and lovely is the gentle, innocent mocking that happens. In ways it’s a mock-romance—the way the rooster looks, his comb looking like a castle. It’s a mock-beast-fable—as Kelly points out “chickens, doing chicken things, pondering human ideas.” It’s a bit of a mock-tragedy—the evil, dark fox (think Renard which Chaucer would have been familiar with). And…a bit of a mock-epic—in it’s description of the date.
It is resplendent with contrast: male/female, animal/human, logic/intuition, dream/reality, barren/rich.
And at its heart, this gem: “I kan noon harm of no waman dvyne” (line 3266). One critic has called this the most ambiguous line in all of Chaucer. Is kan a helping verb “can” or does is it the a form of the verb konne (to know)? Is divine a verb or an adjective? And what about the double negative? Does it make the sentence affirmative, or is it underscoring that no harm of no woman…
This is now, perhaps one of my favorite tales.
And then we faced Topas and Melibee. Susanna focused our attention on Topas’ prologue where Harry Bailley asks, “What man artow?” (presumably to Chaucer:“Who are you?”) These two tales seem, even in their seeming un-pin-down-able-ness, to be Chaucer’s cheeky answer.
Sir Topas (the guise of Chaucer) presents us wit a mock-romance in style and substance, but the inaccuracies and subtle clunk-rhyme lift the curtain to show us that Chaucer seems to be making parody. He makes the tale so “bad” that the host interrupts and asks for something else. The Tale of Melibee is a LOOOONGGGG treatise in prose with no plot about how to exact revenge. There is a possibility that the Tale of Melibee (with his wife Prudence and his daughter Sophia (meaning wisdom) who gets dropped like a hot potato midway through the Tale) might be written for an audience of Edward II suggesting how to rule moderately, but this is unsubstantiated. This reminds me, too, of how conscious Chaucer might have been of critics, even if the critic was one of his own imagination.
This afternoon, suite sweet 8, had conferences with David and Susanna over scones and tea. Lovely. It was interesting to hear other’s ideas for projects and to offer input and take advice from each other. It would be interesting to see the products of everyone’s projects once they are complete.
I’m now inspired to teach The Prioress’ Tale and Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice (thanks Fran!).
Monday, 9.August.2010
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Today we attempted to tackle three tales. The highlight was Emily and Mary Kay’s presentation on the Prioress’s Tale.
I once had a student who did an anti-Semitic reading of this anti-Semitic tale. And since then, I have avoided it.
Mary Kay and Emily began by contextualizing the tale, having us look back at the prioress’s portrait in the general prologue and deducing 6-8 qualities with which Chaucer presents the Prioress—she is “simple and coy,” “vain,” two-sided, counterfeits a courtly grace, and so forth.
Then they asked us to go to the Prioress’ Prologue and Tale and search for how the Prologue/Tale transacts with these qualities.
What comes about is a new understanding that the tale—told in high style about a very violent end—is almost as layered as the Prioress. The tale is couched in “mercy” and “Mary,” but at its heart it contains the story of a violent death by Jewry and the subsequent violent death of those Jews. Emily points out that the setting of the town—the Jews surrounded by Christians mirrors this narrative structuring.
Additionally, the boy in the tale sings the Alma Redemptorus without knowing the meaning mirroring the Prioress’ own speaking of French.
The graphic organizer—General Prologue attributes, Tale/Prologue connections or irony (in style, subject, word, tone), Conclusions—was especially helpful and could be used to help students get at the undercurrents of any Tale.
It seems that the Tale gets its inspiration from a mix of Virgin Miracle and anti-Semitic stories making their way around continental Europe during the 13th century. Interestingly, most stories about Jews involve the corruption of a little boy, as Artis Butterfield suggests. We are left, though, a bit baffled about how to address this tale in a post-Diaspora culture (post-homeland-founding, post-Holocaust). It might be an interesting discussion to have with students.
Interestingly, the Prioress’ Prologue begins with Psalm 8, part of the Liturgy of the Holy Innocents.
Susanna provided an interesting entryway into the Pardoner’s complex tale by suggesting Chaucer’s source—a “Treasure of Sirrea Madre” folk tale. This usually involves three men looking to cheat the others out of treasure; ultimately they meet their ends by at the hands of their own greed.
Susanna also pointed out several connections that would have been contemporary to Chaucer’s readers including images of Three Living and the Three Dead.
Susanna links together the story of the Three Living and the Three Dead (scroll down for illumaged images from DeLisle Psalter) to the three male figures in the Tale—boy (youth), taverner (middle age), and old man (old age). This folk story is also depicted on walls of churches.
In this tale (and in the paintings and in the folk tlae), there is this idea of a “blind humanity” to precipitous to notice any chance at redemption.
To complicate and deepen this we have the Pardoner speaking from a position of the damned, but in a sense he is speaking from a place of deepest redemptive possibility.
David notes the role of the Apothecary who has “death in his hands.”
We are thankful to Artis Butterfield, who is certainly brilliant, even if she did muddy the waters of this thinker’s mind. I’ll look forward to mulling over some of the thinking she suggested today in class.
