2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter1I.Historicalbackground1.TheHundredYears’WarbetweenEnglandandFrance(1337---1453)cause:fortheFrenchthroneresult:awakeningofnationalconsciousnessinEnglandFrenchlanguagegraduallyreplacedbythenativetongue2.thepeasantuprisingof1381cause:theexploitationandoppressionofthepeasantsbythefeudallordsleader:spiritualleader:JohnBall2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter2Literaryworks

JohnWycliff(1324?–1384):fatherofEnglishproseFirstfiguretodemandedtoreformthechurchtodoawaywiththecorruptionandrottennessTranslatedtheBibleintostandardEnglishAgreatcontributiontoEnglishliteratureandEnglishlanguageFixanationalstandardforEnglishinsteadofdialects

WilliamLangland(1330?–1400)Works:TheVisionofPiersPlowman

Form:allegory--isastoryordescriptioninwhichthecharactersandeventssymbolizesomedeeperunderlyingmeaning,andservetospreadmoralteaching.Doublemeaning:Abstractqualitiesorideasarepersonifiedascharactersinthestory2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter3MedievalLiterature(continued)

—Chaucer

(1340?—1400)Chaucer:somebasicfactsChaucer’smasterpiece:TheCanterburyTalesOverview;Structure;Textualstudy:theopeninglinesoftheGeneralProloguetheimageoftheNunScansion韻律分析2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter4Chaucer:somebasicfactsFullname:GeoffreyChaucerBirth&death:1340?—1400Career:Awiderangeofcareerascourtier,soldier,diplomat,andcivilservantPlaceinBritishliterature:“fatherofEnglishpoetry”andoneofthegreatestnarrativepoetsofEnglandForerunnerofhumanismThefirstrealisticwriterMasteroftheEnglishlanguageThefirsttobeburiedinthePoet’sCornerofWestminsterAbbey2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter5LiteraryCareer1.Thefirstperiod(the1360s-about1372)HewasinfluencedbytheFrenchpoetryoftheMiddleAgesandhetranslatedworksfromFrench.

RomanceoftheRose/TheBookoftheDuchess2.Thesecondperiod(1372-1386)HewasinfluencedbythegreatliteraryfiguresofearlyRenaissanceinItaly,suchasDante.TroilusandCryseydethelongestcoupletpoemTheParliamentofFowlsTheHouseofFame3.Thethirdperiod(1386-1400)HeproducedhisworkfullmaturityfreefromanydominantforeigninfluenceTheCanterburyTales2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter6TheCanterburyTales:anoverviewTheCanterburyTalesisacollectionofstorieswrittenbyGeoffreyChaucerinthe14thcentury(twooftheminprose,therestinverse).ThetalesaretoldbyagroupofpilgrimsontheirwayfromTabardInninSouthwarktoCanterburytovisittheshrineofSaintThomasBecketatCanterburyCathedral.TheCanterburyTalesarewritteninMedievalEnglish.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter7CanterburyTales:anoverviewOnedayinApril,thepoetcomestotheTabardInninthesouthernsuburbofLondon.Bynightfall,29pilgrimsarriveattheinnandtheygetreadytogotoCanterbury.HarryBailey,thehostoftheTabardInn,proposesthateachpilgrimshouldtelltwostoriesonthewaytoCanterburyandtwomoreonthewayback.Thebeststory-telleristobegivenafreesupper,atthecostofalltherest.Thehostofferstogowiththemastheirjudgeandguide.Accordingtotheplan,thereshouldbe120stories,butactually24talesarefinished.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter8PortraitofChaucerasapilgrim2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter9TheCanterburyTales:itsstructureTheCanterburyTalesismadeupofthreeparts:

TheGeneralPrologue;24tales,twoofwhichleftunfinished;separateprologuestoeachtalewithlinks,comments,quarrels,etc.inbetween.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter10ProloguePrologueprovidesaframeworkforthetales.Itcreatesagalleyofvividcharactersfromallwalksoflife,exceptthehighest(thekingandthetopnobility)andthelowest(theverypoorlabouringfolk),thenassignstoeachofthemappropriatetalesthatshedlightontherespectivenarrator’sdistinctivepersonality.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter11Textualstudy:GeneralPrologueThestructureofthegeneralprologue:Lines1-34:anelaborateintroductionLines35-719:portraitsofpilgrimsLines720-821:thehost’ssuggestionofatale-tellingcontestanditsacceptanceLines822-858:thedecisionthattheknighttellthefirsttale2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter12Textualstudy:GeneralPrologue1.Whatisthestructureoftheopening18lines? Theopening18linesmakeup1sentenceintheoriginal.2.Whatistheimageryexpressedintheselines? spring’srenewalandrebirth3.Whichverbsdescribetheactionofnature? piercing(2),engendering(4),inspiring(5),pricking(11)4.Whatisthemainideaexpressedintheselines? amicrocosmof14th-centuryEnglishsociety;5.Howdoyouappreciatetheselines?2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter13TheliteraryformsoftalesThesetalescoverallthemajortypesofmedievalliteratureromance:folktale,beastfable,storyofadventure,allegoricaltale,Saint’slife,sermonandalchemicalaccountThewifeofBathlight-hearted,merry,vulgar,talkative2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter14SocialsignificanceChaucertakesthestandoftherisingbourgeoisie,becauseheaffirmsmenandwomen’srighttopursuetheirhappinessandopposesthedogmaofasceticism.AsaforerunnerofHumanism,hepraisesman’senergy,quickwitandloveoflife.Atthesametime,histalesexposeandsatirethesocialevilsathistime.WeaknessLivinginatransitionalperiod,Chaucerisnotentirelydevoidofmedievalprejudices.Thereisnothingrevolutionaryinhiswriting,thoughhelivedinaperiodofpeasantuprising,sosometimes,hecracksaroughjoke.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter15ThesignificanceofTheCanterburyTalesItgivesacomprehensivepictureofChaucer’stimethedramaticstructureofthepoemhasbeenhighlycommendedbycriticsstoriesarecleverlywoventogetherbylinksbetweenthestoriesstoriesarerelatedtothepersonalitiesofthetellersChaucer’shumourChaucer“thesmylerwiththeknyfunderthecloke”Chaucer’scontributiontotheEnglishlanguageHewroteintheLondondialecttoprovethatEnglishlanguageisabeautifullanguageandcanbehandledtoexpressdifferentmoodsThusincreasedtheprestigeofehEnglishlanguage.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter16ContributionChaucergreatlycontributestothefoundingoftheEnglishliterarylanguage.HislanguagenowiscalledMiddleEnglish.HeisthefirstgreatpoetwhowroteintheEnglishlanguage.HedidmuchinmakingthedialectofLondonthestandardforthemodernEnglishspeech.ChaucerintroducedheroiccoupletfromFrancetoEnglishpoetry,insteadofalliterativeverse.InTheLegendofGoodWomen,heusedforthefirsttimeinEnglishheroiccouplet.InTheRomanceoftheRose,hefirstintroducedtotheEnglishtheoctosyllabiccouplet.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter17Couplets:coupletsaretwolinesofverse,usuallyconnectedbyarhyme.Poetsinthe18thC,inparticularusedcoupletsfrequently.Heroiccouplet:coupletsiniambicpentametere.g.Hereyesarewild,herheadisbore,Thesunhasburnthercoal-blackhair.Hereye-browhavearustystain,Andshecamefromfaroverthemain.---Wordsworth:TheMadMother2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter18Homework1.WhataretheartisticfeaturesandsignificancesofTheCanterburyTales?2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter19Scansion韻律分析Scansionistheprocessofmeasuring斟酌

verse,identifyingitsprevailingmeter韻律、格律

andrhythm節奏,andaccountingfordeviations偏轉fromthemetricalpattern.Inscanningapoem,wetrytodetermineitsdominantrhythmandmeter,andtoaccountforvariationsfromthenorm常規.2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter20TheformofapoemNumberoflines2.Afewverseforms2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter21TheformofapoemNumberoflines Astanzaorpoemwith 1line:monostich2lines:couplet 3lines:tercet/triplet 4lines:quatrain 5lines:limerick6lines:hexastich 7lines:heptastich 8lines:octave

2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter22Theformofapoem2.Afewverseforms: sonnet 十四行詩

blankverse無韻詩/素體詩

freeverse自由體詩

heroiccouplet英雄偶句體詩

doggerel打油詩

Triolet八行兩韻詩2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter23Rhythm1.Definition:theregularrecurrenceoftheaccentorstressinapoem2.Howdowemarktherhythmofapoem?Weuse’forastressedsyllableand﹀anunstressedsyllable.Forexample:﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’ShallIcomparetheetoasummer’sday?2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter24MeterDefinition:thenumberoffootinapoeticlineTypesofmeter: 1)iambic抑揚格的：anunstressedsyllablefollowedbyastressedsyllable; forexample:﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’

AssoonasAprilpiercestotheroot﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’ThedroughtofMarch,andbatheseachbudandshoot

2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter25TypesofmeterIamb 抑揚格Trochee 揚抑格Anapest 抑抑揚格Dactyl 揚抑抑格…2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter26TypesofmeterIamb抑揚格：anunstressedsyllablefollowedbyastressedsyllable; iambic抑揚格的

forexample:

﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’

AssoonasAprilpiercestotheroot

﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’ThedroughtofMarch,andbatheseachbudandshoot2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter27Typesofmeter2.Trochee揚抑格：astressedsyllablefollowedbyanunstressedsyllable; trochaic揚抑格的

forexample:’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀WhanthatAprilwithhisshouressoote2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter28Typesofmeter3.Anapest抑抑揚格：twounstressedsyllablesfollowedbyastressedsyllableanapestic:抑抑揚格的4.Dactyl揚抑抑格：astressedsyllablefollowedbytwounstressedsyllablesdactylic:揚抑抑格的 2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter29Foot音步DefinitionThebasicunitofmeasurementinalineofpoetry.Inscansion,afootrepresentsoneinstanceofametricalpatternandisshowneitherbetweenortotherightorleftofverticallines,asinthefollowing:﹀’︱﹀’︱﹀’︱﹀’

whosewoods︱theseare︱Ithink︱Iknow2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter30Foot2.Belowisalistofclassifications:

monometer:onefoot單音步

dimeter:twofeet兩音步

trimeter:threefeet三音步

tetrameter：fourfeet四音步

pentameter：fivefeet五音步

hexameter：sixfeet六音步

heptameter：sevenfeet七音步

octameter：eightfeet八音步2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter31FootThemeterinapoemisclassifiedaccordingbothtoitspatternandthenumberoffeettotheline.Thefollowinglineisoneofiambicpentameter﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀’

AssoonasAprilpiercestotherootThefollowinglineisoneoftrochaictetrameter:

’﹀’﹀’﹀’﹀

WhanthatAprilwithhisshouressoote

2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter32Rhyme1.Definition:thematchingoffinalvowelandconsonantsoundsintwoormorewords.2.Howdowerecordtherhymeschemeofapoem?Weusea,b,c,…Weusethesamelettertomarkthelineswiththesamerhyme.3.WhatistherhymeschemeofTheCanterburyTales?

2023/2/3Chaucer/rhythm&meter33HeroiccoupletDefinition: linesofiambicpentameterrhymedinpairs:aa,bb,cc,andsoon.ThisverseformwasintroducedintoEnglishpoetrybyChaucer,andhasbeeninconstantuseeversince.

forexample: AssoonasAprilpiercestotheroot ThedroughtofMarch,andbatheseachbudandshoot througheveryveinofsapwithgentleshowers fromwhoseengenderingliquorspringtheflow