1300-1500

Front 1

Piers Plowman

Back 1

William Langland
-series of eight allegorical visions
Will, in dreams, seeks out truth

Front 2

In a somer seson, whan softe was the sonne,
I shoop me into shroudes as I a sheep were,
In habite as an heremite unholy of werkes,
Wente wide in this world wondres to here.
Ac on a May morwenynge on Malverne hilles
Me bifel a ferly, of Fairye me thoghte.
I was wery forwandred and wente me to reste
Under a brood bank by a bourne syde;
And as I lay and lenede and loked on the watres,
I slombred into a slepyng, it sweyed so murye.
Thanne gan I meten a merveillous swevene--
That I was in a wildernesse, wiste I nevere where.
A[c] as I biheeld into the eest an heigh to the sonne,
I seigh a tour on a toft trieliche ymaked,
A deep dale bynethe, a dongeon therinne, P.15
With depe diches and derke and dredfulle of sighte. P.16
A fair feeld ful of folk fond I ther bitwene-- P.17
Of alle manere of men, the meene and the riche, P.18
Werchynge and wan

Back 2

Prologue, Piers Plowman, William Langland

Front 3

Three dream visions in Piers Plowman

Back 3

1) in which Holy Church and Lady Meed (representing the temptation of riches) woo the dreamer;
(2) in which Piers leads a crowd of penitents in search of St. Truth; and
(3) the vision of Do-well (the practice of the virtues), Do-bet (in which Piers becomes the Good Samaritan practicing charity), and Do-best (in which the simple plowman is identified with Christ himself).

Front 4

The Knights tale

Back 4

arcite and mars fight palamon and venus for emily arcite wins.

Front 5

The Prioress's tale

Back 5

jew kills a christian boy; he continues to sing while throat slit

Front 6

The Nun's Priest(s) tale

Back 6

Chaunticleer the rooster is kidnaped by sir russell, a fox. Chaunticleer escapes because the fox opens his mouth to brag
-is a mock heroic (it parodies some of the conventions of classical epic poetry such as illiad)

Front 7

The Merchants tale

Back 7

Knight January is old and blind. When his wife cheats on him, his sight is restored. His wife said she did it to cure him.
-wears motley and a beaver hat, talks about his businesses. he is in debt, yet no one knows bc of his calculated dignity

Front 8

The wife of bath's tale

Back 8

king arthurs knight commits rape. To escape sentencing, he must find out what a woman really wants. He marries an old witch for the answer (soveirgnty); she turns into beautiful woman.

Front 9

description of wife of bath

Back 9

bit deaf, gap toothed, plump, ruddy, scarlet stockings, enormous hat, five husbands, comfortable riding a horse and jokign with boys

Front 10

millers tale

Back 10

a cuckold is tricke dinto sleeping on roof in washtub while his wife is with suitors
-suitor, nicolas, is a boarder in the carpenters house. Wife is alison.
-love affair with nicolas is interrupted by absalom

Front 11

pardoners tale

Back 11

three drunkards search for death but instead find treasure which they kill eachother over

Front 12

the franklin

Back 12

a wealthy landowner, tells the tale about a lover, aurelius; a faithful wife, dorigen; and dorigens husband, arveragus

Front 13

the reeve

Back 13

a kind administrative overseer, tells the tale of greedy miller, simkin, has his wife and daughter njoyed by a pair of clerks (john and alan) whom hed swindled earlier. This story is response to the miller/carpenters tale earlier

Front 14

the clerk

Back 14

tells tale of griselda, patient wife, who endures needlessly jealous husband, marquis walter

Front 15

doctors tale

Back 15

is of a woman, virginia, who has her father kill her in order to avoid falling into clutches of apius, an evil judge.

Front 16

sir gawain and the green knight

Back 16

unknown poet, draws on legend of arthur and court of camelot
a green knight shows up to new years eve party and challenges: anyone who can, can cut his head off. if anyone fails, their head will be cut in return. Sir Gawain achieves this, but the green knight just puts his head back on. Still, green knight spares him

Front 17

difference between green knight and Malory's Morte D Arthur

Back 17

body of each stanzais made of long alliterative lines BUT ends with a bob and wheel.
-quatrain in trimeter followed by bob, followed by wheel in trimeter.

Front 18

Le Morte D' Arthur

Back 18

-Sir Thomas Malory
-Tale of King Arthur and Knights of the Round table
-PROSE