Analizzare un testo narrativo non è mai un’operazione immediata. A differenza della poesia, dove la struttura e le figure retoriche spesso “saltano agli occhi”, la prosa si muove in modo più fluido e meno visibile: significati, temi e scelte stilistiche sono intrecciati alla storia e ai personaggi, e richiedono attenzione, metodo e allenamento per essere messi a fuoco. Proprio per questo motivo, è importante avvalersi di una guida per orientarsi nella complessità del testo, a scomporlo nei suoi elementi essenziali e a leggerlo in modo più consapevole e profondo. In questo post presento una scheda per l'analisi di un testo narrativo, da vedere non come una gabbia rigida ma come un metodo per osservare il testo con ordine, coglierne i meccanismi narrativi e trasformare la lettura in uno strumento di comprensione critica. CONTESTUALIZZAZIONE Autore: ___________________________________________________ Titolo dell'opera: ____________________________________________ ...
The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer, is a collection of tales, short stories and sketches of life told in verse instead of prose.
The framework, into which Chaucer inserted his tales, is that of a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury.
All over European pilgrimages were important for two features: religiousness and entertainment event by people belonging to various levels of society.
Chaucer 's original intention was to have each of his 30 pilgrims, including himself, tell two tales on the road from London to Canterbury and two on the way back.
The teller of the best tale would be awarded a free supper by Harry Bailly, the host of the Tabard Inn,where they meet to begin their journey.
This would have given a total of 120 tales with a General prologue.
But in the work there were only 23 pilgrims tell a story and Chaucer himself, as a pilgrim narrating what he sees and hears on the journey.
Chaucer is inspired by Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio in the structure and characters of the work.
He adopted the Italian model by presenting his tales as told by a group of pilgrims travelling to Canterbury.
Chaucer provided a detailed portrait of all social classes in the late 14th century, excluded nobles and peasants.
His pilgrims are both individuals and stock types and it is often difficult to decide what is convention and what is not in their descriptions.
Chaucer pilgrims cover the middle stata of society, ranking from knight to Ploughman (a labourer of the fields).
Chaucher describes with shrewdness and attention to details middle-class England in the late 14th century through pilgrims.
This is carried out with fine irony and narrative gusto that don't diminish the fundamental truth of his work.
The General prologue
In the opening lines of the General prologue Geoffrey Chaucer describes the time of the year (spring), speaking of the awakening of nature with various examples.
The coming of spring induces people to go on pilgrimages.
In England pilgrims go to Canterbury in order to worship at St. Thomas Becket's shrine.
After these general remarks, Chaucer introduces himself as one of the pilgrims: on his way to Canterbury, he stays at the Tabard Inn (Southwark), where he meets a group of people going to the same destination.
Host Harry Bailly suggests that each pilgrim of the merry company tell and entertain the others with stories, proposing that each tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back (for a total of 120 stories). The best storyteller will receive a complimentary meal from Bailly in his tavern. The pilgrims accept and cast lots and it is established that the first to speak will be the Knight.Before beginning his work, Chaucer tells us he wants to introduce his fellow pilgrims.
One of the most important Chaucer's pilgrim portraits is the wife (woman) of Bath.
She comes from Bath, a town then prominent in the English weaving trade, and belongs to a middle-class family.
She is deaf, her face is bold, beautiful and red cheeks; she has gap-teeth and large hips.
She wears finest scarlet red, soft and new shoes, flowing mantle.
She is a woman of means and property and loves to show her riches.
Despite all her charity and boasted religion, she mostly goes to church to show off her costly dress.
Even her pilgrimages all over Europe have little to do with her devotion, but rather with her desire to travel and meet people, men especially.
In fact, she get married five husbands and had other company in youth.
Chaucer describes with irony the woman, who represents a stock types of social condition of woman in 14th century.
She wears finest scarlet red, soft and new shoes, flowing mantle.
She is a woman of means and property and loves to show her riches.
Despite all her charity and boasted religion, she mostly goes to church to show off her costly dress.
Even her pilgrimages all over Europe have little to do with her devotion, but rather with her desire to travel and meet people, men especially.
In fact, she get married five husbands and had other company in youth.
Chaucer describes with irony the woman, who represents a stock types of social condition of woman in 14th century.
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