Saturday, January 19, 2013

Meet the Canterbury pilgrims and the Host

What I knew about Chaucer,  when I signed up for the required course, would not have filled a thimble. I'd heard his name, knew the title Canterbury Tales. That's all. Wasn't sure when he lived, except it was before Shakespeare. But my introduction to the Tales was the start of a stimulating intellectual adventure.
     The beginning, called the General Prologue, describes the extensive cast of pilgrims. Each character is outstandingly unique. Learning about their physical attributes and life-styles brings them to life. You not only see the individual, you know how he or she gets along in the world. Chaucer, strangely enough, scatters some preposterous details through the portraits. For example: a virile knight in his 50s has a military career that spans 45 years; a woman wears a kerchief that weighs 10 pounds; a burly fellow is inclined to knock doors off their hinges by running into them with his head!
     Somehow the oddities make the pilgrims more than the surface of the words describing them. An alternate image of each seemed to hover just out of focus. I figured it must be connected to the technique called "allegory," telling a story on two (or more) levels at the same time. Bringing a second storyline into focus was an entertaining challenge to readers of the Middle Ages. Fascinating!
     Numerous specific details hold true for everyone until we meet the Host. He provides a night's lodging for the entire group, in anticipation of setting out on their pilgrimage. Chaucer uses a different tactic with him. Of his appearance, we are told only "a large man he was with eyen stepe." His eyes are "stepe"--they are high or wide-open. Again, I felt there was more to understand than merely the words.
     The pilgrim introductions take 710 lines before the Host comes on the scene. Ralph Baldwin (in The Unity of the Canterbury Tales) hands us a surprising fact: of all the activities attributed and the travels recorded, we have seen only a "pretense of actions," spoken of, not performed.
     It is the Host who performs the first action. After a warm welcome, he provides sustenance for these travelers in the form of the best food and strong wine. No particulars of the meal are given: no specific foods served, nothing of the manner of serving.
     Again, I felt I was to understand more than the words were saying. My Catholic background brought automatic echoes for this Host. To associate the word Host with the best food and wine is the poetic equivalent of referring to the Eucharist. There are many medieval examples. A question posed in the Church's designated prayers for the Feast of Corpus Christi (Body of Christ) written by Thomas Aquinas, refers to the Sacrament of the Altar with: Can anything be more excellent than this repast?  And a religious poem of the 14th century states: A better food may no man find.
     We'll go on with this next week. Meanwhile Celebrate Chaucer!

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