Question

1 . What is the function of the Prologue to“The Canterbury Tales”? The Prologue is a splendid masterpiece of realistic portrayal, the first of its kind in the history of English literature . From the Prologue, we can see that Chaucer is a talented portrait painter . The broad sweeps of his brush in the Prologue are impressive and unforgettable . Each of the pilgrims or narrators is presented vividly in the Prologue . The pilgrims are people from various parts of England . They are the representatives of various sides of life and social groups, with various interests, tastes and predilections . The pilgrims range from the knight, the squire, the prioress,through the landed proprietor and wealthy tradesman, downto the drunken cook and humble plowman .There are also monks, nuns, priests . And there are also a doctor, a lawyer, a summoner, a sailor, a miller and an Oxford scholar . With a feeling of sympathy Chaucer describes the Clerk, a poor philosopher who spends all his money on books . Among the pilgrims there is a Wife from the town of Bath, a gaily dressed middle-aged widow, who hopes to find a husband in Canterbury . In short, each of the narrators reveal his or her own views and character . Thus Chaucer created a striking brilliant and picturesque panorama of his time and his country . And thus Chaucer′s realism, trenchant irony and freedom of views reached a high level of power . It is no exaggeration to say that the Prologue supplies a miniature of the English society of Chaucer′s time .Looking at his picture gallery, we know at once how people lived in that era . So Chaucer was praised by Gorky as“the founder of English realism”. On the other hand, there is also an intimate connection between the tales and the Prologue, both complementing each other . The Prologue provides a framework for the tales .

Accepted Answer

Part Ⅲ Geoffrey Chaucer Prologue 是现实写照的出色杰作，是英国文学史上的首创。从Prologue中我们可以看出Chaucer 是一位才华横溢的肖像画家。他在序言中的笔触令人印象深刻，难忘。每个朝圣者或叙述者都在序言中生动地呈现。朝圣者来自英国各地。他们是生活和社会各方面的代表，具有不同的兴趣，爱好和偏爱。朝圣者的范围从骑士，乡绅，小修道院到有地主和富有的商人，再到醉酒的厨师和谦卑的耕犁者,也有僧侣，修女和牧师。还有医生，律师，传票员，水手，磨坊主和牛津学者。Chaucer怀着同情的心形容书记员，他是一个贫穷的哲学家，他把所有的钱都花在书本上。在朝圣者中，有一位来自巴斯镇的妻子，一位身穿便服的中年寡妇，希望在坎特伯雷找到一个丈夫。简而言之，每个叙述者都透露自己的观点和性格。Chaucer 因此创造了他的时代和他的国家的惊人的，风景如画的全景。因此Chaucer 的现实主义，鲜明的讽刺和见解自由达到了很高的水平。可以毫不夸张地说，序言提供了Chaucer 时代英国社会的缩影。看看他的图片库，我们立刻知道那个时代人们的生活。因此Chaucer 被高尔基誉为“英国现实主义的奠基人”。另一方面，故事与序言之间也有紧密的联系，两者相互补充。Prologue提供了一个故事的框架。

正面	1 . What is the function of the Prologue to“The Canterbury Tales”?
《》	Part Ⅲ Geoffrey Chaucer
背面	The Prologue is a splendid masterpiece of realistic portrayal, the first of its kind in the history of English literature . From the Prologue, we can see that Chaucer is a talented portrait painter . The broad sweeps of his brush in the Prologue are impressive and unforgettable . Each of the pilgrims or narrators is presented vividly in the Prologue . The pilgrims are people from various parts of England . They are the representatives of various sides of life and social groups, with various interests, tastes and predilections . The pilgrims range from the knight, the squire, the prioress,through the landed proprietor and wealthy tradesman, down to the drunken cook and humble plowman .There are also monks, nuns, priests . And there are also a doctor, a lawyer, a summoner, a sailor, a miller and an Oxford scholar . With a feeling of sympathy Chaucer describes the Clerk, a poor philosopher who spends all his money on books . Among the pilgrims there is a Wife from the town of Bath, a gaily dressed middle-aged widow, who hopes to find a husband in Canterbury . In short, each of the narrators reveal his or her own views and character . Thus Chaucer created a striking brilliant and picturesque panorama of his time and his country . And thus Chaucer′s realism, trenchant irony and freedom of views reached a high level of power . It is no exaggeration to say that the Prologue supplies a miniature of the English society of Chaucer′s time . Looking at his picture gallery, we know at once how people lived in that era . So Chaucer was praised by Gorky as“the founder of English realism”. On the other hand, there is also an intimate connection between the tales and the Prologue, both complementing each other . The Prologue provides a framework for the tales .
note	Prologue 是现实写照的出色杰作，是英国文学史上的首创。从Prologue中我们可以看出Chaucer 是一位才华横溢的肖像画家。他在序言中的笔触令人印象深刻，难忘。每个朝圣者或叙述者都在序言中生动地呈现。朝圣者来自英国各地。他们是生活和社会各方面的代表，具有不同的兴趣，爱好和偏爱。朝圣者的范围从骑士，乡绅，小修道院到有地主和富有的商人，再到醉酒的厨师和谦卑的耕犁者,也有僧侣，修女和牧师。还有医生，律师，传票员，水手，磨坊主和牛津学者。 Chaucer怀着同情的心形容书记员，他是一个贫穷的哲学家，他把所有的钱都花在书本上。在朝圣者中，有一位来自巴斯镇的妻子，一位身穿便服的中年寡妇，希望在坎特伯雷找到一个丈夫。简而言之，每个叙述者都透露自己的观点和性格。 Chaucer 因此创造了他的时代和他的国家的惊人的，风景如画的全景。因此Chaucer 的现实主义，鲜明的讽刺和见解自由达到了很高的水平。可以毫不夸张地说，序言提供了Chaucer 时代英国社会的缩影。看看他的图片库，我们立刻知道那个时代人们的生活。因此Chaucer 被高尔基誉为“英国现实主义的奠基人”。另一方面，故事与序言之间也有紧密的联系，两者相互补充。 Prologue提供了一个故事的框架。

Prologue Chaucer Pilgrims English Canterbury Narrators People Views