Canterbury+Tales+Theme+2009


 * // Canterbury //****// Tales //**

1. Discuss satire in Chaucer’s Prologue. What are his targets?, i.e., what institutions and attitudes does he criticize? How does he skewer them? What broader point is he making? Your essay should include a discussion not only of their description in the Prologue but also of your character’s Tale and how that further reflects this satire.

2. Identify Chaucer’s positive message: what characters and characteristics does he extol? What does the author (as opposed to the narrator) admire about the pilgrims? Your thesis should focus on a couple of generalized qualities that become more concrete in your discussions of different pilgrims & their tales. Also, your argument can be complex: he doesn’t have to admire each pilgrim for the same reason or set of reasons; in fact, you should find some positive attributes even in his description of pilgrims whom he generally exposes to criticism.

Thesis– Friday, September 4 Outline – Tuesday, September 8 Revised outline, due electronically – Friday, September 11 Intro & First 2 body paragraphs – Tuesday, September 15 Full rough draft – Wednesday, September 16 Full Theme – Thursday September 17
 * Deadlines: **

Please note, you must meet __each__ of the above deadlines – they are each individual grades. In order to meet the deadline, the assigned task must be available in __HARD COPY__ by the __beginning__ of class.
 * Length: ** 850-1100 words
 * Format: ** Essays should follow standard MBA theme format. Reminders: double space, paginated, title page, works cited (line beneath essay, not a separate page), and word count. Be sure to proofread closely.