Question

4 . What is the social significance of“The Canterbury Tales”? Social Significance of“The Canterbury Tales”In his masterpiece“The Canterbury Tales”, Chaucergives us a true-to-life picture of the society of his time . Tak-ing the stand of the rising bourgeoisie, he affirms men andopposes the dogma of asceticism preached by the church . Asa forerunner of humanism, he praises man′s energy, intel-lect, quick wit and love of life . His tales expose and satirizethe evils of his time . They attack the degeneration of thenoble, the heartlessness of the judge, the corruption of theChurch and so on .Living in a transitional period, Chaucer is not entirelydevoid of medieval prejudices . He is religious himself . Thereis nothing revolutionary in his writing, though he lived in aperiod of peasant uprisings . While praising man′s right toearthly happiness, he sometimes likes to crack a rough jokeand paint naturalistic pictures of sexual life . These areChaucer′s weak points . But these are, however, of sec-ondary importance compared with his achievement as a greatpoet and story-teller .

Accepted Answer

Part Ⅲ Geoffrey Chaucer

正面	4 . What is the social significance of“The Canterbury Tales”?
《》	Part Ⅲ Geoffrey Chaucer
背面	Social Significance of“The Canterbury Tales” In his masterpiece“The Canterbury Tales”, Chaucer gives us a true-to-life picture of the society of his time . Tak- ing the stand of the rising bourgeoisie, he affirms men and opposes the dogma of asceticism preached by the church . As a forerunner of humanism, he praises man′s energy, intel- lect, quick wit and love of life . His tales expose and satirize the evils of his time . They attack the degeneration of the noble, the heartlessness of the judge, the corruption of the Church and so on . Living in a transitional period, Chaucer is not entirely devoid of medieval prejudices . He is religious himself . There is nothing revolutionary in his writing, though he lived in a period of peasant uprisings . While praising man′s right to earthly happiness, he sometimes likes to crack a rough joke and paint naturalistic pictures of sexual life . These are Chaucer′s weak points . But these are, however, of sec- ondary importance compared with his achievement as a great poet and story-teller .

Canterbury Chaucer Social Significance Of“The Time Church Man′S