The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale:

(f) Chaucer's style

Th

e W

ife

of

Ba

th’s

Pro

log

ue

and

Ta

le:

(f)

Cha

ucer

's s

tyle

© 2012 crossref-it.info

refers to links on www.crossref-it.info

Lesson focus:

To explore the variety of styles

which Chaucer uses in the

Prologue and Tale.

Opening exercise:

Ask the students to suggest

different genres of storytelling

What aspects of style are

characteristic of each?

Can these genres and styles

be mixed together?

(An entertaining exercise is to

write the opening of a story in

the style of a different genre.

Eg: Goldilocks as a horror

story, or Harry Potter as a

romance.)

(The Wife of Bath's Prologues

and Tale synopses and

commentary > The Wife of

Bath's Tale: Introductory

comments > Part eighteen >

Genres and expectations)

Textual examination:

Copy and distribute the

Students’ Worksheet (f)i:

Chaucer’s style Divide the Prologue and Tale

around the class (so that

everyone does not find

examples from the beginning) Students find examples of the

suggested stylistic techniques.

Explain that there may not

be examples of every

technique in every part of

the text.

(Note: There is a

Teacher’s Worksheet

(f)ii: Chaucer’s style with some suggested

references. This could be

used to give students a

start and show them the

sort of thing to look for.) (The Wife of Bath's

Prologue and Tale>

synopses and

commentary) (Literary context of The

Wife of Bath » Medieval

literary conventions) (Literary context of The

Wife of Bath » Chaucer's

English)

Discussion ideas:

Report back on the findings

on the worksheets

Think about whose voice

we are listening to at

each point:

The Wife’s

Chaucer’s

A character from the

Tale.

(Narrative in The

Wife of Bath’s Tale

Narrative - the way

the story is told)

(Narrative in Wife of

Bath > Language in

The Wife of Bath's

Prologue and Tale)

Recreative task:

Invent and write the story of

the Wife of Bath’s first

boyfriend, as she might tell it

Use modern English, but

you could write it in

rhyming couplets

Try to use plenty of her

techniques.

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and Tale:

(f) Chaucer's style

Th

e W

ife

of

Ba

th’s

Pro

log

ue

and

Ta

le:

(f)

Cha

ucer

's s

tyle

© 2012 crossref-it.info

refers to links on www.crossref-it.info

Critical task:

What is there in the narrative

methods used by Chaucer which

sustains the reader’s attention in

both the Prologue and The Tale?

(Narrative in The Wife of Bath’s

Tale > Narrative - the way the

story is told) (Narrative in Wife of Bath >

Language in The Wife of Bath's

Prologue and Tale)

Extension task:

Research the variety of styles

which Chaucer uses in the other

Tales

Start with the so-called

‘marriage group’.