The Parson’s Prologue and Tale (selections) and Chaucer’s “Retraction” etc.
For final thinksheet, please answer question 4.
Please
read Parson’s Prologue, pp. 691-3; pp. 706-709 (from “The fifthe thing” to “as he biheteth him in the gospel” )
1. How does the Host ask the Parson to
tell his tale? How does the Parson
present himself?
2. How is Christ’s suffering
described? What is this suffering
supposed to inspire in Christians?
3. How does this link reflect back on
other places where Chaucer has talked about the connection between tale telling
and truth? What is the
relationship between “reality” or “truth” and how it is conveyed as expressed
here by Chaucer the pilgrim?
4. The
Canterbury Tales are incomplete, but for the sake of this question just
accept that all the tales we have are all the tales told. Who won the storytelling contest and
why?