P.S. Commented on Matt's post.
Monday, March 23, 2015
A Conglomeration
This whole reading was such a great conglomeration of characters. All so varied and all so significant. They each fulfilled a role and great detail was given to most all of the personalities. What I found so interesting, however, is that the writer refers to people of great influence throughout the work and includes them in this grand conglomeration of persons. Not only is there reference to Christianity and to Jesus and many various saints but there is also a great influence of philosophical personalities. For instance in describing the Clerk it is said that he has "some twenty books, all bound in black and red, of Aristotle and his philosophy..." Elsewhere there is a reference to Epicurus, saying that the Franklin was his "very son." Also in the prologue, Plato is quoted. I don't know why this was so interesting to me, I just liked the fact that it was included. Made the personalities more real to me I suppose.
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I admit that I find most characters in literature around Chaucer's time to be less than interesting, and The Canterbury Tales have never been my favorite piece of fiction, but Chaucer can do characters really well. They're all so different and distinguished from each other! It's partially imagination and partially writing skill and all pretty amazing. The General Prologue is the ultimate character sketch example.
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