The Franklin's Tale as Social Romance
The style in the opening description of Dorigen and Arveragus (729-60) contains a lot of abstract language. It is full of words such as 'worthyness' and 'obeysaunce' which result in a type of characterisation which is itself abstract and idealised. Many of the sentences are neatly balanced and produce a sense of formality. All these abstract and formal features are essential in creating the idealised world of court romance:
'But atte laste she, for his worthyness,
And namely for his meke obeysaunce,' (738-9)
If one looks at the actual marriage agreement between Dorigen and Averagus it is not only built round the term 'gentilesse' but also 'maistrie' and 'soveraynetee' (both meaning 'power' or 'control') as well as 'trouthe' (nobility and fidelity). Although 'gentilesse' and 'franchyse' play a substantial part in this tale and Chaucer seems to idealise these qualities, I am not sure how useful the term 'social romance' is nor the fact that courtly experiences centre on love which is the view held by John Stevens.
Of course, It depends how literally one takes the term 'love'. But as far as I can see these courtly experiences centre on power and control as far as the male characters are concerned. Dorigen, does, however, represent faithful love within marriage. But there is the irony that Aurelius intervenes and urges her to be unfaithful and offers 'love' outside marriage. We know nothing about the physical aspect of Dorigen except that she is 'oon fairest under sonne' and one has no idea what Averagus looks like.
Initially one sees Averagus as the classic 'courtly lover'. He observes a standard pattern of feeling. H...
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...ect I think one's perception does change a little. If one considers the melodramatic significance of Dorigen's complaint about women being abused in general, one is presented with many rhetorical questions.
Regarding the term 'social romance' the late fourteenth century saw a decline of chivalry, and a corresponding increase in non-noble landowners that were becoming more influential. Court romance, the main literary form of chivalry, was itself beginning to look a little old-fashioned. From the prologue one can see that the Franklin probably fits into the category of the non-noble merchants and senior administrators. He appears to be self conscious of his own non-noble status, and seems desperate to be considered a nobleman of 'gentil' status. Perhaps due to his insecurity of being non-noble he is trying to prove how 'gentil' he can be.
From the beginning of fiction, authors have constantly exploited the one topic that is sure to secure an audience: love. From the tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde to the satirical misadventures in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, literature seems obsessed with deciphering the mysteries of affection. The concept most debated is the question of where the line falls between lust and love and what occurs when the two are combined, and few portray it more clearly than Edmund Rostand in his French drama Cyrano de Bergerac. The influence of fickle physical attraction and deep romantic love on each other are explored by the interactions of the four main characters: De Guiche, Christian, Roxane, and Cyrano.
Marie de France’s “Lanval” is a Breton lai dominated by themes common to 12th century literature, which through its exploration of love, erotic desire, wealth, gender and community, tells the story of a young knight who finds himself caught between two worlds: his lover’s and his own. Forced to separate these societies by a warning in which his lover states, “do not let any man know about this…you would lose me for good if this love were known” (Lines 145-148), Lanval must keep his love a secret and exist apart from the Arthurian world into which he was born. Consequently, romantic love between Lanval and his fairie queen exists conditionally, that is upon Lanval’s physical and emotional isolation. This restriction suggests that romantic love, as described in terms of erotic desire and physical/emotional devotion throughout “Lanval,” is unsuited for existence in the mundanity of Arthurian society. Therefore, Lanval’s solitude is necessary for his maintaining his relationship with the fairie queen, a fact that suggests the incompatibility of romantic love with Arthurian society, as Marie depicts it.
When comparing the epic poem of The Song of Roland to the romantic literature of Ywain, the differences between the early medieval period and the high medieval period become evident. Both The Song of Roland and Ywain depicts the societies from which each story derives its fundamental characteristics. Through close observation, one is able to see the shifts in customs and mentality that make the move from the epic to the romance possible. In his chapter 'From Epic to Romance', R.W. Southern shows how this transformation manifests itself through changing ecclesiastical and secular thoughts and feelings.
As a young boy, Franklin receives a few copper coins from friends and family as a holiday gift. Ecstatically, he goes to the store and buys a whistle. When he arrives back at home, he decides to melodically play and play to boast in front of his family about his new toy. Annoyed by his playing, his brother, sister and cousin inquire about the price of the whistle. When he responds, they mention that he paid much more than the whistle is worth. Wallowing, he dreams about all of the other things he could have bought with the extra coinage. In the parable, like many seven year olds, Benjamin Franklin didn’t stop to think about the consequences of his actions. He saw the whistle and new he had to have it. Before thinking he offered all of his money
In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer portrays a wide spectrum of marriage from what can be traditionally seen as the worst to the best. Three of these tales, The Miller's, The Franklin's, and The Wife of Bath's, support this examination of what can constitute an ideal marriage.
strong that the two knights feel that it is worth more than life. At one point
Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, demonstrate many different attitudes and perceptions towards marriage. Some of these ideas are very traditional, such as that illustrated in the Franklin’s Tale. On the other hand, other tales present a liberal view, such as the marriages portrayed in the Miller’s and The Wife of Bath’s tales. While several of these tales are rather comical, they do indeed depict the attitudes towards marriage at that time in history. D.W. Robertson, Jr. calls marriage "the solution to the problem of love, the force which directs the will which is in turn the source of moral action" (Robertson, 88). "Marriage in Chaucer’s time meant a union between spirit and flesh and was thus part of the marriage between Christ and the Church" (Bennett, 113). The Canterbury Tales show many abuses of this sacred bond, as will be discussed below.
In a relationship, Love is a feeling that humans share with a special person. Some bonds could be mutual, while others are dissociated. During the Medieval period, love affairs were dominated by one gender, men, and the women had little or no control over decisions. Before a gentleman married a lady, the gentleman first boasted about her beauty, championed the cause of the lady, and did whatever the lady requested. The era was influenced by knights, and dictated by honor and chivalry that each knight had to display to their king and queen. As a gentleman, a knight had to be just at all times, especially toward ladies. At this time, there was a king named Arthur. King Arthur had a flourishing kingdom that abruptly ended. Later on, many authors recounted the story of the reign of King Arthur. Sir Thomas Malory published Le Morte d’Arthur, and Geoffrey Chaucer published The Wife of Bath’s Tale. Although both of these books recount the reign of King Arthur, the stories are very diverse and unique in their own way. Both stories demonstrate for a relationship to be successful, both partners must be submissive, must be brave, and must be willing to learn from mistakes.
Both Antigone and Creon are born to noble positions, but this is where their similarities end. Although Antigone's actions in this play merit respect she cannot be characterized as the tragic hero. Her actions are pure, whereas Creon's actions are not.
During the Middle Ages, Courtly love was a code which prescribed the conduct between a lady and her lover (Britannica). The relationship of courtly love was very much like the feudal relationship between a knight and his liege. The lover serves his beloved, in the manner a servant would. He owes his devotion and allegiance to her, and she inspires him to perform noble acts of valor (Schwartz). Capellanus writes, in The Art of Courtly Love, “A true lover considers nothing good except what he thinks will please his beloved”. The stories of Marie de France and Chrétien de Troyes illustrate the conventions of courtly love.
England, under James 1st rule was a vastly altered period compared to our now modern society. So many of the values held during this time, have now been discarded and forgotten. Jane Austen grew up in the Romantic period and experienced a world which was divided, whether through education, class, status, fashion, abilities, gender and etiquette. Her novel, Pride and Prejudice is counted as one of the great classics of English Literature. Austen engrosses readers to live in her world for a time and experience a society filled with matchmaking, romance, marriage and gossip. Every one of her characters is so distinctive and has a clearly outlined caricature. Each of their diverse values conveys a different thinking of the time. Pride and Prejudice is preoccupied with the gentry and most of the social aspects which consumed these people’s lives. There were so many expectations of how you would behave in public, but of course not all of these were upheld. Elizabeth Bennet, Mr Darcy, Mrs Bennet and Charlotte Lucas are four characters which keep such strong beliefs about the social norms. These characters are expressed so descriptively and through their personalities readers can learn just how the numerous social standards were received.
“The Wife of Bath’s Tale” is written in an entertaining and adventurous spirit, but serves a higher purpose by illustrating the century’s view of courtly love. Hundreds, if not thousands, of other pieces of literature written in the same century prevail to commemorate the coupling of breathtaking princesses with lionhearted knights after going through unimaginable adventures, but only a slight few examine the viability of such courtly love and the related dilemmas that always succeed. “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that women desire most their husband’s love, Overall, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale” shows that the meaning of true love does not stay consistent, whether between singular or separate communities and remains timeless as the depictions of love from this 14th century tale still hold true today.
The tales of King Arthur and many of their numerous characters are well known in literature. The Arthurian world is one of the great myths of modern times. Those great pieces of literature have many common themes, one of them being courtly love “L’amour Courtois”. This paper talks of courtly love as seen in King Arthur’s world especially examining “Yvain or the Knight with the Lion” and “Lancelot: or the Knight of the Cart”. Furthermore, one of the goals is to show how that courtly love could be seen in today in our world.
Apple would go on to sell 200 Apple I’s until they were replaced in 1977 with the Apple II which included a built in keyboard. Over 16 years Apple produced over 6 million Apple IIs. Apple would go on to manufacturer the Apple III, The Lisa, which had a graphical user interface, the Lisa 2, and the Macintosh. Fast forward to 2007 when Apple change the world by designing one of the first touch screen cell phones called the iPhone and a tablet called the iPad which had the power of a computer with a small enough to be held in someone’s hand. To date, Apple has revolutionize the industry by designing smaller computers, hand held devices and one of the best operating systems (Biography.com,
“Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. … And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, go try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.”