Svolgi i seguenti esercizi sul quaderno o direttamente sulla scheda. Leggi ogni domanda con attenzione, rispondi in inglese quando richiesto e motiva sempre le tue scelte facendo riferimento al testo o al contesto storico-letterario studiato.
- In which language did Chaucer write The Canterbury Tales, and why was this choice significant?
- A) Latin, because it was the language of the Church and gave prestige to the work
- B) Anglo-Norman French, because it was spoken at the royal court
- C) Middle English, because it raised the spoken vernacular of London to a literary language
- D) Old English, because it linked his work to the Anglo-Saxon epic tradition
- The Canterbury Tales was completed by Chaucer before his death in 1400 and contains exactly one hundred tales, as originally planned.
- Vero / Falso
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Complete the sentence: The pilgrims meet at the ___ Inn in Southwark, near London, before setting out together for the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury.
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Match each pilgrim from the General Prologue with the social group or institution he or she represents. | Colonna A | Colonna B | |---|---| | The Knight | The rising urban middle class and female experience | | The Wife of Bath | The corrupt side of the medieval Church | | The Pardoner | The honest, humble rural clergy | | The Parson | The wealthy landowners who enjoy good food and hospitality | | The Franklin | The military aristocracy and chivalric ideals |
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Which Italian work, encountered by Chaucer during his diplomatic missions, is generally considered the closest model for the frame structure of The Canterbury Tales?
- A) Dante's Divine Comedy
- B) Boccaccio's Decameron
- C) Petrarch's Canzoniere
- D) Machiavelli's The Prince
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Explain in 3–4 sentences what is meant by Chaucer's irony in the General Prologue, giving at least one example of how a small detail can reveal a character's hidden flaws.
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Compare Chaucer's role in English literature with Dante's role in Italian literature, focusing on the choice of the vernacular, the representation of society and the variety of styles and registers used in their masterpieces.
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Read this short adapted line based on the General Prologue: 'He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght'. Analyse it step by step to show what it tells us about the Knight and about Chaucer's language.