Is Canterbury Tales worth teaching?

[Michelle in AL]

I teach a class of middle-high school students literature. I've read most of this book and can't find much value in it.

 

My main concern is that the parents will be opposed to the bawdiness in it. I'm all for bawdiness if there's a point to be made, but I can't seem to find one. I know the tales contrast each other and that they're supposed to be satirical and humorous, but frankly I don't get the humor :confused:

 

Am I missing something?

[Storm Bay]

I'm going to follow this tread because I'm interested. Dd, 11, read an illustrated child's version of Cantebury Tales where the humour was very obvious. However, it didn't emphasize the bawdiness of it. She liked it, so I'm going to follow this thread as I've never read it. I eschewed literature, but my 11 yo likes humour (she liked a kids version of Don Quioxote, which isn't my style at all) and if I can get her reading humour in high school it will help literature a lot. And books like Canterbury Tales & Don Quixote that look good on an arts major bound transcript, right?

[Kathy in MD]

I teach a class of middle-high school students literature. I've read most of this book and can't find much value in it.

 

My main concern is that the parents will be opposed to the bawdiness in it. I'm all for bawdiness if there's a point to be made, but I can't seem to find one. I know the tales contrast each other and that they're supposed to be satirical and humorous, but frankly I don't get the humor :confused:

 

Am I missing something?

 

I've gotten the impression that the male of the species can relate to the humor better than the females. Some of my senior classmates went to a play version as part of the senior lit class. The guys were rolling on the floor, while the teacher and the girls couldn't figure out what was going on. My second experience was with my ds just this month. We just finished the Geraldine McCaughrean retelling and my ds thought it was hilarious from the first tale. I didn't see it's humor until ds told me he's seen other teen boys acting just like the characters in the first tale.

 

So even in the cleaned up version, I think the experiences and humor tend to appeal to the male experience and ego more than the female. Maybe you should check with your dh to see if he sees any value for the boys in the class. If he does, it won't hurt the girls to get a glimpse of how strange males can be :lol:

[Storm Bay]

I've gotten the impression that the male of the species can relate to the humor better than the females. Some of my senior classmates went to a play version as part of the senior lit class. The guys were rolling on the floor, while the teacher and the girls couldn't figure out what was going on. My second experience was with my ds just this month. We just finished the Geraldine McCaughrean retelling and my ds thought it was hilarious from the first tale. I didn't see it's humor until ds told me he's seen other teen boys acting just like the characters in the first tale.

 

So even in the cleaned up version, I think the experiences and humor tend to appeal to the male experience and ego more than the female. Maybe you should check with your dh to see if he sees any value for the boys in the class. If he does, it won't hurt the girls to get a glimpse of how strange males can be :lol:

 

 

Thanks. I'll keep this in mind for my ds.

[Loupelou]

I teach a class of middle-high school students literature. I've read most of this book and can't find much value in it.

 

My main concern is that the parents will be opposed to the bawdiness in it. I'm all for bawdiness if there's a point to be made, but I can't seem to find one. I know the tales contrast each other and that they're supposed to be satirical and humorous, but frankly I don't get the humor :confused:

 

Am I missing something?

 

:iagree:

I have to agree with you. I still remember reading this in high school and being completely disgusted at the humor. Maybe it was my age, I just wasn't comfortable with it, although I doubt my opinion would be different now. Anyway, I have it on my shelf, it's been sitting there waiting for me to expose my dd to it, it's been waiting for quite awhile:D. I really don't know if I want to bother. Honestly, about the only need I have had in reference to Chaucer is from "A Knight's Tale" when Paul Bettany as Chaucer appears buck naked!:lol:

 

Just my .02!

[Christy B]

Short answer? YES!!!!

 

If for no other reason, a college bound student simply needs to have covered this piece in high school. There are just certain works that almost every college level lit class assume you have studied -- this is one of them.

 

That said, I see no reason not to choose a sanitized version, particularly if you are working with a mixed group.

[Storm Bay]

Short answer? YES!!!!

 

If for no other reason, a college bound student simply needs to have covered this piece in high school. There are just certain works that almost every college level lit class assume you have studied -- this is one of them.

 

That said, I see no reason not to choose a sanitized version, particularly if you are working with a mixed group.

 

 

Interesting. I never studied it and when I went to university took poetry & drama to avoid studying literature there, too;). I didn'ttake a single literature course in high school. Of course, there was some required reading, but somehow, perhaps because I moved around, I didn't have to read most of those books like Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies (I read those two on my own out of curiousity and hated them.)

[Michelle in AL]

Yeah, I just don't think I can teach it. For example there is quite an extensive portion of one tale that talks about a husband using his male parts for more than just draining urine. In those words. Now it is kind of funny typing that in here, but I don't think parents will appreciate it. I think that's in The Wife of Bath's tale. Then there's the repeated stealing of maidenhoods. The McCaugherean version leaves out so much that it's almost a different story.

Sigh.

[Michelle in AL]

Maybe I'm being a prude, maybe others wouldn't find it so offensive?

[nuttman]

I agree with Christy B. You can cover the prologue and a couple of the less offensive tales. They would be the ones found in most high school literature books. CT is an excellent example of early English literature and needs to be taught in high school/

[Christy B]

Interesting. I never studied it and when I went to university took poetry & drama to avoid studying literature there, too;). I didn'ttake a single literature course in high school. Of course, there was some required reading, but somehow, perhaps because I moved around, I didn't have to read most of those books like Animal Farm and Lord of the Flies (I read those two on my own out of curiousity and hated them.)

 

Perhaps if I had stuck with my original plan and majored in nursing, I would not have missed studying Canterbury Tales. As it was, I majored in literature, and felt *keenly* the disadvantage to my lack of exposure to more literature in high school.

 

I am not willing to assume that any 9th or 10th grader is never going to consider majoring in English (I was dead set on being a flight nurse; I ended up not doing my four year college program until *after* I had BTDT with my medical stuff) or needing a lit background for some chosen field. Therefore, I suggest that everyone attempt to study the "big deal" lit pieces in high school. You just never know what a day will bring, and these kids who are gung ho for math and science now may surprise us four years down the road.

 

My own dd truly doesn't care for literature, so I anticipate having to drag her kicking and screaming through my own list of must-study literature. :tongue_smilie: She'll thank me someday -- that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Catherine]

I only read the prologue this year, with my 12 yo and 7 yo, and the McCaughrean retelling, but both of them still quote the two funniest lines:

 

"She was by no means undergrown"-referring to the Wife of Bath, I think, and, "He was a prelate fit for exhibition"-referring to the priest? or the monk? I don't remember.

 

I also found the Canterbury Tales prologue invaluable for introducing the practices we are just now getting to in our history study-selling indulgences, for example or the practice of extorting money from people by threatening them with ****ation, common in the Middle Ages. It gave us a chance to observe how powerless people were because they could not read for themselves, and how easily victimized they were. Chaucer's razor wit was perceptible even by my young kids. They understood that he was poking fun at the people making the pilgrimage, and also understood that the language he used to describe the parson, the only one to escape ridicule, was different and showed Chaucer's respect for his humility and self-sacrifice.

 

There is a retelling of Chanticleer's story in a picture book-if you don't read any other Chaucer, don't miss it at least. It's very funny and not bawdy at all.

[Storm Bay]

My own dd truly doesn't care for literature, so I anticipate having to drag her kicking and screaming through my own list of must-study literature. :tongue_smilie: She'll thank me someday -- that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

:lol::lol::lol: Right now I'm doing that with essays. She is, amazingly, having me read Idylls of the King by Tennyson to her. She hasn't let me read to her for 5 or 6 years. However, she has to study it for Keys to Literature and hates poetry. The funny thing is, that when my voice was giving out the other night, she finished reading the last few pages out loud to me, so I think she likes it better than she admits. All this leads me to think that she might actually enjoy reading some literature down the road.

[Christy B]

:lol::lol::lol: Right now I'm doing that with essays. She is, amazingly, having me read Idylls of the King by Tennyson to her. She hasn't let me read to her for 5 or 6 years. However, she has to study it for Keys to Literature and hates poetry. The funny thing is, that when my voice was giving out the other night, she finished reading the last few pages out loud to me, so I think she likes it better than she admits. All this leads me to think that she might actually enjoy reading some literature down the road.

 

Hope springs eternal!!! :D

[HollyinNNV]

I teach a class of middle-high school students literature. I've read most of this book and can't find much value in it.

 

My main concern is that the parents will be opposed to the bawdiness in it. I'm all for bawdiness if there's a point to be made, but I can't seem to find one. I know the tales contrast each other and that they're supposed to be satirical and humorous, but frankly I don't get the humor :confused:

 

Am I missing something?

 

It is this type of dilemma that made me choose to use both a textbook and "real" books for my literature class next year. There are several pieces of literature that I would like my students to read-only in part. With a good textbook/anthology, you can pick and choose how much of certain works you want to cover.

 

And my answer to your original question is yes. I think all students should be exposed to Canterbury's Tales. There is no need to read all of them. We'll be reading some of them next year.

Holly

[Michelle in AL]

Thanks Holly, Let me know which ones you decide to read. The Knights Tale was fine, and the Pardoner's Tale really lets you see the manipulation of the church at that time. The Wife of Bath is the raciest one, although it is amusing.

Glencoe Lit guides has a pretty good study guide for this.

[luv2quilt]

I was appalled at the bawdiness of this when we were doing Sonlight. I chose a few of the tales that were less bawdy and had them read those just so they could get a general feel for what the book was about. The librarian at our library couldn't believe I wasn't having my kids read it in its entirety since it was such a classic. But I don't think my kids were ruined for life by not reading it. I just don't see the need to put such disgusting thoughts in my child's mind, when there are so many more classic works that are so much richer. IMO. My dd who didn't read Cantebury Tales, just finished her lit classes in college and aced them, so I don't think she was at a disadvantage at all.

[Storm Bay]

I was appalled at the bawdiness of this when we were doing Sonlight. I chose a few of the tales that were less bawdy and had them read those just so they could get a general feel for what the book was about. The librarian at our library couldn't believe I wasn't having my kids read it in its entirety since it was such a classic. But I don't think my kids were ruined for life by not reading it. I just don't see the need to put such disgusting thoughts in my child's mind, when there are so many more classic works that are so much richer. IMO. My dd who didn't read Cantebury Tales, just finished her lit classes in college and aced them, so I don't think she was at a disadvantage at all.

 

 

I share your feelings as a mother, but then I remember some of the novels I read on my own as a teen, and I highly doubt that Canterbury Tales is any worse. My parents didn't censor our reading. I'm the first to admit that some of the books I read I wish I hadn't, but I read a wide variety of books.