British Literature

Entry Task: Today we are reading the Pardoner’s Tale; without using the textbook (notes are acceptable) describe the Pardoner. What was his social class? Did Chaucer think well of his character?

*Turn in Canterbury Tales questions from last class.

Learning Goals • Students will be exposed to other cultures and time

periods, quality literature and effective/varied writing styles

• Students will begin to understand key facts that influenced and developed literature

• Students will write effectively in expository mode to examine/analysis a complex idea

Learning Targets For Middle Ages

- Students will recognize cultural aspects of the Middle Ages and the corresponding effects on literature (women’s roles/chivalry)- Students will recognize the social influence of the

Norman Invasion (feudalism/Hierarchal society)- Students will recognize the “Great Happenings” and

their effects on the culture and literature (Crusades, Magna Carta, Black Death)

- Students will recognize the concept of a pilgrimage- Students will recognize Chaucer’s style: (Frame story;

iambic pentameter & couplets; satire; indirect/direct characterization)

- Students will analyze the satire of typical British citizenry in the Middle Ages: (the church, Lesser nobility, Laborers, dishonest and greedy business people)

Once and Future King Quiz #3

• In chapter 13 of Once and Future King the protagonist, Wart, undergoes a transformation in order to learn an important lesson. In a well-developed paragraph tell what animal Wart was transformed into, the type of government he encountered, and what was the lesson that he learned.

•  Hint: Commentary needs to explain the significance of the transformation/skills he will need as a leader.

Canterbury Tales cont.

What has the power to corrupt? In the introduction to his tale, the Pardoner states, “Radix malorum est cupiditas,” which is Latin for “The love of money is the root of all evil”– a passage from the Bible. The expression suggests that the desire for riches often seduces people into abandoning their moral principles. Today, as in Chaucer’s time, greed and other elements of human weakness often trigger grave acts of corruption.

With your elbow partner discuss types of corruption and what prompts people to commit corrupt acts. Be prepared to discuss.

Pardoner’s Tale

• Exemplum is a short anecdote or story that illustrates a particular moral point. Developed in the late Middle Ages, this literary form was often used in sermons and other didactic literature. The “Pardoner’s Tale” which focuses on greed is one famous example.

• As we read this piece, pay attention to the actions of the characters and the narrator’s description of his own practices

Pardoner’s Tale

Answer question 6 on page 181. Make a chart and fill in the examples.

What theme, or central message, about corruption do you think Chaucer conveys in this story? How does it still hold true today?

Exit taskReflect on the learning targets for today. Do you feel you met the targets?• Students will be exposed to other cultures and time periods, quality

literature and effective/varied writing styles• Students will begin to understand key facts that influenced and developed

literature• Students will write effectively in expository mode to examine/analysis a

complex idea

1. What is one thing that you completed or learned today that you found interesting?

2. What is one thing that you feel you can improve in future classes?