How Does Chaucer's Use Of Satire In Canterbury Tales

Irony is a technique that uses words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. For example, dramatic irony is a type of irony which is shown in the first Shrek movie. Fiona loves Shrek but only Donkey and the audience know. In this situation, dramatic irony is being created because the character Shrek does not know that Fiona loves him but the audience does. The short stories “The Lottery” the reader may find both situational and dramatic irony that both create the ironic ending.

By using funny descriptions and puns within his diction, he creates a satire that is both entertaining and political in nature. For example, the imagery he uses when describing the flatulence scene is both vulgar and timeless. He writes of Nicholas and Absolon’s interaction, “This Nicholas anon leet fle a fart,/As greet as it had been a thonder-dent,/That with the strook he was almoost yblent;/And he was redy with his iren hoot,/And Nicholas amydde the ers he smoot” (lines 3806-3810). Chaucer manages to compare the sound of Nicholas’s passing gas to thunder and says that it was so toxic that it almost blinded Absolon. The way Chaucer words this selection is so matter-of-fact and simply stated, that it increases the hilarity of the whole incident. Although Chaucer is entertaining his audience, he is also seeking to show the immorality of the every day people who surround him. This satirical use of language sets a tone that is both jovial and constructively

Satirical writing allows the author to express his or her opinion about a problem in society. A writing must follow three rules in order for

Chaucer, Geoffrey. "The Canterbury Tales." Trans. Nevill Coghill. Glencoe Literature, The Reader's Choice, British Literature. Columbus: Glencoe/McGraw Hill, 2000. 118-119.

Irony is the expression of one’s meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite. This literary device can be easily identified throughout the Shakespearean play, Julius Caesar. All three types of irony, dramatic, situational, and verbal, are displayed throughout the play to keep the audience entertained and interested. Although the characters intend no irony, Shakespeare's irony is evident throughout much of the play (Bloom). Irony is often used in Shakespeare's plays to help reveal a character’s feelings and to give the audience knowledge.

In terms of literary quality, Chaucer went great lengths to give all elements a bit of attention. The work is primarily about a knight who is pardoned from a rape on the condition that he acquires the answer to one of life’s

During the Age of Enlightenment, people began believing in and relying upon rational thought instead of religious dogma to explain the world. This newfound emphasis on rationality promoted a breadth of freedom in speech that was previously unknown, a fact which was utilized by philosophers such as John Locke, Rousseau, and Sir Isaac Newton. In addition, the Age of Enlightenment produced famous writers who didn’t agree with the irrational politics and old traditions of their respective countries, and instead relied upon wit and satire to expose the corruption and poor human condition existing around them. These Enlightenment writers use irony in their satires to get their interpretations regarding the human condition across.

Chaucer exercised the use of satire heavily in his writing to expose certain ideals in both harsh and light hearted styles. Satire can be summarized as a literary technique in which one uses humor, sarcasm, or irony to expose certain traits about humanity or establishments of humanity. The two types of satire each play a large part in Chaucer’s

His purpose was to educate the common folk. He uses both types of satire, Horatian and Juvenalian, to achieve his purpose. We can find examples in all of the texts he writes. His use of English shows us that his intended audience was the common people who spoke the language. Although his Canterbury Tales are revered to today among the greats and Chaucer considered a genius, in his time Chaucer wasn’t appreciated for his works.

Satire (The Analysis of Chaucer’s Use of Satire to Reach His Intended Audience) The freedom of speech was not fully recognized until the colonist wanted to be separate from Britain and their church; however Chaucer was the one that introduced them to speaking out. “The Canterbury Tales is a series of stories told by an interacting group of characters in the course of a journey which is seen, in accordance with a common medieval conception, as an image of human life in time. ”(Traversi, Derek A) Chaucer wrote the tale using characters as his voice claiming that the people in the story said what he had actually written himself.

Chaucer satirized several characters to show the reader that they aren’t what they appear and to develop the characters through complex character development. By using satire, Chaucer depicts certain characters in a much

There are very few authors in this world that are able to use satire in such a gentle way, while at the same time being rather harsh. There are very few authors at all that are able to use satire without offending his audience, and still keeping them engaged. Chaucer is one of the few writers to have accomplished this goal. Not only was he an avid user of satire, but he used this satire to reach out to his intended audience. Now Chaucer, being an iconoclast (an attacker of the issues of sacred institutions) had a very specific audience he was writing for, but a broader list of those he was attacking. He had a bone to pick specifically with the church, and also disagreements among

Satirical works are meant to ridicule aspects that are often seen as controversial or unfavorable in society. In the book The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer uses irony, humor, and satire to reveal how rampant the corruption of the Church was during medieval times mainly in the Pardoner's tale. Along the way to Canterbury, the Pardoner discloses corrupt secrets about himself to everyone else in the group. In a way, these secrets represent how dishonorable the Church was during the middle ages.  

To begin, back in the days on Geoffrey Chaucer, religion was ruled by one and only one church, the Roman Catholic Church. He never really agreed with the ways of the church so he wrote a series of tales making fun of the people of England and the ways of the church. Even though he was purposely making fun of the church, he had to be careful of the way he said some things. With some of the characters he creates, Chaucer finds himself apologizing in advance for what he is about to say; or what the characters were about to say. By doing this Chaucer is using satire. Satire is when you say something but mean another or the opposite of the thing you say. Most of Chaucer’s tales are not appropriate for high schools, but of

Humour and satire are two concepts that are both wide ranging and diverse, from dark, to light hearted, with each producing a different effect. Humour in the main, is something that is used to please the audience, its function is to invoke laughter amongst its audience. Satire is used to create a comical critical view of the subject at hand, this can range from a light hearted comical way, to a judgemental way, with each style giving the text a different meaning, however this does not mean that satire cannot be humorous, which can evident in the use of parody and irony within texts. Within literature both concepts play an important role to how the text is viewed, humour can include word play, grammatical jokes, to even inside jokes with the author and reader, and with satire, including that of irony and parody, with each style and type delivering humour in its own unique way. These differing styles of humour can be found in a variety of forms including Jasper Forde’s The Eyre Affair (2001), with its silly atmosphere, word play and grammar jokes, and the use of light hearted satire and parody to brighten up the text, and Julian Barnes A History of the World in 10 1/2 Chapters (1989), where there is a more serious atmosphere, with a more critical, satirical eye on history and characters, as well as using irony to achieve its comical effect, and the position of the world. Each text is humorous and satirical in its own right, and with each author using different techniques to