Recasting The Canterbury Tales - Stage 4.

      Recasting any work of literature as important as The Canterbury Tales is risky. You run the risk of changing the author’s original intention and message. But, that’s what parodies and satires do in general. In recasting The Canterbury Tales I would update the character of the Clerk. The Clerk is described as a quiet, wise man. He is a student at Oxford and currently lacking in a job. His education has taken most of his money, leaving him impoverished. He is educated, but has spent so much time in school that his chances of finding a job are slim. He tells a tale of a humble woman named Griselde who marries a rich, powerful Marquis in northern Italy. He cruelly tests her love and devotion to him by taking her children away from her and telling her they must be killed because of her birth into a low social status, all the while actually sending them to live with his sister. His final test to her is a counterfeit order that he may divorce Griselde and marry a woman of higher social status. She accepts this news quietly, not arguing his decision. The Marquis’ test is complete when he writes to Griselde and asks her to help him plan his wedding to his new wife, which she patiently and readily agrees to. She asks that he not treat or trick his new young wife, but says this in a kind tone. The Marquis responds by telling her that she has always been his wife and the new young bride is actually her daughter. Griselde gathers the children in her arms tightly and is brought to live at the palace. She is given fine clothes and endures a happy peaceful marriage for the rest of her life.
     The Clerk’s moral to this story does not have anything to do with Griselde’s humility. He does not believe there there is a woman able to follow in Griselde’s example – a woman that humble is impossible to find. Rather he encourages people to remain constant in adversity and accept whatever God sends their way. The tale ends with a warning note to husbands –do not attempt to test your wife’s patience and humility. The husband will lose every single time. Women are advised not to hold their tongues through all adversity, but to take governance for themselves.
     In recasting this tale, I would choose to update the Clerk from a medieval student at Oxford to a modern-day student here at Georgia Tech. I have heard many a student remark that “Georgia Tech sucks the money and life right out of you.” Most students here are quiet and must be wise in order to get through Georgia Tech without failing (too much…). So many students are involved in their education here that we do have job prospects coming out, but most choose to stay in school. These various reasons include grad school, research, and a general feeling of loss without having a legitimate reason to complain all the time due to the insane amounts of work and tests expected of every student. The student would appear as a normal student around school – male, a bit on the gawky side, tall, pale, with glasses. He would carry a book bag full of books and his computer at all times. At any point in time, you can borrow a calculator, engineer’s paper, a scale, or a compass for him. If necessary, highlighters, pens, and pencils are available from his pocket protector. His clothes are worn and threadbare, as most college students do not have the extra money necessary to continually buy new clothes. Rather, this college student chooses to spend his money on books for school. These books surround him, helping and guiding him to a better education and, hopefully, one day, a better life.
     If that student were to retell the tale of Griselde and the Marquis, he would tell it much the same way, but change a few things. He would update the setting from medieval Saluzzo, Italy to modern day United States. The Marquis would be represented by Donald Trump and Griselde would be represented by an average American girl. She would have the children and he would insist they be sent to boarding school, instead of dying, because his high society doesn’t approve. Instead of submitting to his tests, the wife would choose divorce in an effort to live her life her own way. The moral would reflect today’s societal views on cruel treatment, like the way the Marquis treated Griselde. In today’s society, women do not necessarily stand for such treatment and choose to rather focus on their own lives and the lives of their children if necessary.

     Citations:

     Hooper, W.D. “The Clerk.” Photo of woodcut. The Geoffrey Chaucer Page. November 28, 2000. February 16, 2010.
     “Italy.” Cartoon image. Enchanted Learning. 2009. February 16, 2010. <>
     “Woman Milking Cow.” Cartoon image. Medieval Women. 2010. February 16, 2010. <>
     “Marquis.” Manuscript on vellum. Medieval Studies Course Union: Florilegium. February 25, 2008. February 16, 2010. <>
     "Baby Boy Blocks." Image of napkin. Your Complete Part. 2010. February 16, 2010.
     "Divorce Decree." Photo. Cafe Darkness. June 25, 2009. February 16, 2010.
     "Medieval Marriage." Image of painting. Harvard Law School. February 20, 2008. February 16, 2010.
     "Happy Ever After." Cartoon. Dreamstime. 2010. February 16, 2010.
     "Praying Hands." Cartoon. Royal City Church. 2009. February 16, 2010.
     "Purple America." Cartoon. Princeton. 2008. February 16, 2010.
     "Donald Trump." Photo. ENTMoney.com. January 4, 2010. February 16, 2010.
     "Baby Girl." Photo. My Random Thoughts. July 2, 2008. February 16, 2010.
     "Baby Boy." A Brooklyn Life. April 3, 2008. February 16, 2010.
     "Boarding School." Tonbridge School. February 16, 2010.
     "Divorce Papers." Hubpages. 2010. February 16, 2010.

Resetting The Canterbury Tales - Stage 5.

As I rewrote my final draft I looked at the ideas I put in my first draft and looked at the ideas laid out by other in my peer review comments and attempted to incorporate all of those into one cumulative piece. Reesha and Jeanne had really good thoughts about how my essay should be laid out and what would be better to help my reader’s fully understand where I was going with the resetting of The Canterbury Tales to the Kessler Campanile on Tech’s campus. When I attempted the audio clip, they were constructive in their ideas that maybe the sounds I collected from Einstein Bro.’s Bagel Shop weren’t particularly in tune with the idea I had for the Campanile. As this was assigned in winter and I wasn’t able to capture the multitude of students usually surrounding the Campanile, I had to find another sound that would work well. They were very helpful in suggesting songs to use, rather than trying to piece together the sounds of students talking and gathering. My final draft attempts to explain what I saw in the Campanile and how it related Chaucer’s setting of the public house in his work. It worked well for me to take as many words needed to fully explain my ideas rather than trying to compact into 500 words exactly. I know that at times I will have to limit myself in the amount of words I compose, but having the liberty to write what I willed, I was able to get all of my ideas out.

Recasting The Canterbury Tales - Stage 2.

Recasting the Canterbury Tales - Stage 1.

Recasting any work of literature as important as The Canterbury Tales is risky. You run the risk of changing the author’s original intention and message. But, that’s what parodies and satires do in general. In recasting The Canterbury Tales I would update the character of the Clerk. The Clerk is described as a quiet, wise man. He is a student at Oxford and currently lacking in a job. His education has taken most of his money, leaving him impoverished. He is educated, but has spent so much time in school that his chances of finding a job are slim. He tells a tale of a humble, gentle woman named Griselde who marries a rich, powerful Marquis in northern Italy. He cruelly tests her love and devotion to him by taking her children away from her and telling her they must be killed because of her birth into a low social status, all the while actually sending them to live with his sister. His final test to her is a counterfeit papal order that he may divorce Griselde and marry a woman of higher social status. She accepts this news quietly and humbly, not arguing his decision. The Marquis’ test is complete when he writes to Griselde and asks her to help him plan his wedding to his new wife, which she patiently and readily agrees to. She asks that he not treat or trick his new young wife, but says this in a kind tone. The Marquis responds by telling her that she has always been his wife and the new young bride is actually her daughter. Griselde gathers the children in her arms tightly and is brought to live at the palace. She is given fine clothes and endures a happy peaceful marriage for the rest of her life.
The Clerk’s moral to this story does not have anything to do with Griselde’s humility. He does not believe there there is a woman able to follow in Griselde’s example – a woman that humble is impossible to find. Rather he encourages people to remain constant in adversity and accept whatever God sends their way. The tale ends with a warning note to husbands –do not attempt to test your wife’s patience and humility. The husband will lose every single time. Women are advised not to hold their tongues through all adversity, but to take governance for themselves.
In recasting this tale, I would choose to update the Clerk from a medieval student at Oxford to a modern-day student here at Georgia Tech. I have heard many a student remark that “Georgia Tech sucks the money and life right out of you.” Most students here are quiet and must be wise in order to get through Georgia Tech without failing (too much…). So many students are involved in their education here that we do have job prospects coming out, but most choose to stay in school. These various reasons include grad school, research, and a general feeling of loss without having a legitimate reason to complain all the time due to the insane amounts of work and tests expected of every student. If that student were to retell the tale of Griselde and the Marquis, they would tell it much the same way, but change the moral. They would encourage women to be humble and submit to them. Although, if this student were the average Georgia Tech student, they wouldn’t necessarily have an idea of how a woman would react to that to begin with…

Stage 4.

When we were assigned to reset Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, I immediately began to think of places on campus that seemed to fit the general idea of a public house and tavern. Coffee shops like Starbucks, Jazzman’s, and Einstein Bros. came to mind first since most college students do not congregate in bars, the literal modern setting of Chaucer’s public house. Specific to Georgia Tech, students tend to congregate more in an outdoor setting – the Kessler Campanile on Skiles Walkway. This common meeting place has almost all the qualities of Chaucer’s original setting.
Chaucer chose his tavern very carefully. In the times in which he was writing The Canterbury Tales the citizens of England were experiencing deep schisms between social classes. The First Estate consisted of the clergy, the higher ups in society and power. The Second Estate consisted of the nobility and the knights. The Third Estate consisted of everyone else. Even in these Estates, there were deeper schisms. Women were always considered socially inferior and inept, despite how much money and land she may have. Anyone who made their fortune through work was looked down upon by those who came by their money the “old way” – family riches. Chaucer threw these social stereotypes away in his setting. The tavern was a place where all these people could meet with those of other societal status. The tavern was not Chaucer’s only commentary on social classes mingling – he set the tavern outside of London itself. Outside of London, the laws and regulations do not apply and no person is more important than another.
Here at Tech, I chose the Kessler Campanile because it holds many of the same values that Chaucer incorporated into his setting. At the Campanile, on days with nice weather, students gather because the multitude of seating and open space provides an ideal place to hold study sessions and group meetings. At this place, social class and other defining features do not matter. Indians mingle with the French and Americans talk with the Spanish. There are some people who have more money than necessary and some here who are taking every bit of financial aid they can. Our society is defined a bit differently today as compared to the time of Geoffrey Chaucer, but there are still some similarities.
The audio track I chose is by a band called Kings of Leon. The song is titled “My Party.” The opening lines of the song describe people on a journey, which I thought fit considering that is the idea behind The Canterbury Tales. The song contains a line that says “We wipe away frowns in the most crowded place,” which I believe fit the idea of people sitting around telling tales. Chaucer made his tales purposely humorous and full of satire to make people laugh. The crowded place obviously refers to a place like a tavern or a public house.
Geoffrey Chaucer set The Canterbury Tales in a public house in England. This setting brought together various social classes in a setting that was neutral to all. I chose to reset The Canterbury Tales to Kessler Campanile on Georgia Tech’s campus. This is a common meeting ground for many diverse students. It is a place with wide, open places to sit and hold conversations.