User’s Guide

How To Use This Companion (Suggestions)

Background

 The Open Access Companion to the Canterbury Tales (OACCT) is a resource for students, teachers, and independent readers of Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. It has been created with university-level readers in mind, but does not presume any significant previous knowledge in literary criticism, medieval history, or medieval literature.

The OACCT is meant to be read alongside the Canterbury Tales to help readers understand the text, to open up questions, and to suggest ways of further engaging with the material. This document provides some context about the project and suggestions for how to use it.

Dr. Brantley Bryant of Sonoma State University initiated the project in Spring 2015 and formed an editorial collective with Dr. Candace Barrington (Central Connecticut State University), Dr. Richard H. Godden (now of Louisiana State University), Dr. Daniel T. Kline (University of Alaska Anchorage), and Dr. Myra Seaman (College of Charleston). Each member combined their editorial, pedagogical, and research experience to inform the project. More than 30 scholars, ranging from newly-emerging to late-career, shared their expertise, contributing chapters and other content to the project.

Goals

The overall goal of the OACCT is to carry on the tradition of excellent “companion” texts like Helen Cooper’s Oxford Guide to The Canterbury Tales, 2nd ed (Oxford, 1996), Piero Boitani and Jill Mann’s The Cambridge Companion to Chaucer, 2nd ed (Cambridge, 2004), and Steve Ellis’s Chaucer: An Oxford Guide (Oxford, 2005). These print volumes provide secondary material to students studying texts like The Canterbury Tales, but unlike these we offer the OACCT online and free of charge through Creative Commons licensure so that readers, students, and teachers can freely use and select/rearrange/”remix” the chapters as they see fit.

Additionally, we’ve structured the OACCT to combine the dynamism of recent scholarship with pedagogical flexibility. The contributions are from professional scholars deeply engaged in field-changing research, and we’ve designed the format and topics to be teachable to and readable by the broadest audience possible.

For each chapter, we have encouraged the contributors to keep several goals in mind:

  • Intriguing Questions
    We encouraged the contributors to ask new questions to open up the text to new perspectives rather than write exhaustive scholarly arguments that effectively close up debate. Readers of the companion are invited to join the debate as fellow scholars.
  • Engaging Writing
    We encouraged the contributors to write in a clear, direct, and engaging style for a readership broader than professional scholars alone.
  • Minimal Citation
    We encouraged contributors not to write a standard academic article that takes the history and development of scholarly views as their central point. While contributors use other scholars’ ideas to develop their own points, and while they give credit where it is due (in the form of brief parenthetical notes and a short reading list at the end of each chapter), contributors were urged to refrain from extensive footnotes and instead to focus on what an audience unfamiliar with The Canterbury Tales might find interesting.
  • Clearly-Defined Terms
    We encouraged contributors to provide clear definitions for specialized jargon or technical terms through the chapters; online readers can also pursue additional information with simple web-based searches.
  • Cross-Historical Interest
    Bryant created the initial list of broad topics to be treated in the companion, considering those applicable in Chaucer’s time as well in ours. We encouraged contributors to combine appropriate materials from the later Middle Ages with contemporary concerns.
  • Current Critical Approaches
    We encouraged contributors to find their own combination of tale and topic, often yielding surprising and previously unexplored connections. We encouraged contributors to address approaches to the Tales that represent the cutting-edge of present-day scholarship as well as approaches less frequently explored in existing companion volumes.
  • Source Use
    We asked contributors to base their chapters on the standard edition scholars use in their discussions of the Canterbury Tales, Larry Benson’s Riverside Chaucer (Boston, 1987), and the essays gloss (or define) more unfamiliar or difficult Middle English terms. We quote the Middle English because much of Chaucer’s literary dynamism arises from his distinctive use of language.

As you will see, each contributor’s chapter gives different emphases to these goals and addresses them in different ways.

Structure:

Overall, in its current form, the OACCT consists of two parts:

  • Essay Chapters that analyze a text from the Canterbury Tales (usually a tale but sometimes a prologue or other component) in light of a broad cross-historical topic.
  • Reference Chapters that provide historical context for the Canterbury Tales or the methods and goals of studying medieval literature.

Pedagogical Resources: As the project develops, we hope to add teaching resources like classroom-tested writing prompts, research questions, text- and course-specific assignments developed and used by medievalists and Chaucerians around the world. We also hope to add downloadable .pdfs of individual chapters so that users can create a customized reader for their own needs.

Each Reference Chapter introduces a particular dimension of Chaucerian concern (like Simon Horobin’s “Chaucer’s Language”) or a specific aspect of medieval culture (like Kathleen E. Kennedy’s “Everyday Life”) that is helpful to understanding the Canterbury Tales as a whole. At the same time, each of the chapters devoted to the Canterbury Tales focuses attention on another common dimension of both contemporary and medieval life. In this way, the two primary parts of the OACCT are designed to work together suggestively rather than comprehensively.

Essay Chapters are designed to explore a unit of the Canterbury Tales in relation to a broader subject. We fully recognize that each tale could be examined in relation to many different topics, and the ones included here are not meant to be definitive statements. In the future, we hope to solicit essays or add material that considers each tale in relation to different topics.

Each Essay Chapter consists of three main parts:

  • Tools
    The “tools” section provides readers with tools for interpretation, whether key items of historical context, critical definitions, or important questions about the methods and ethics of reading. These tools are in many cases transferable — students and readers are invited to learn more about tools that interest them and consider applying them to other texts.
  • Text
    The “text” (as in “analysis of the text”) section discusses the tale under examination and provides a model of scholarly inquiry for readers who may be new to the field of literary interpretation. In many cases, these discussions are open ended, inviting reader participation and discussion. The “text” discussions do not aim magisterially or definitively to prove a point beyond question but instead often raise additional questions for readers to consider.
  • Transformation
    The “transformation” section provides ways for readers to think further about the topic. Each chapter author adopts different strategies for this section. Often, a section will include questions that ask for further reflection on the text and topic discussed. These questions could be turned into written assignments, incorporated into class discussion, or integrated into discussion in reading groups or on message boards. On occasion, the “transformation” section also provides ideas about more substantial writing or research sections. All “transformation” sections include suggestions for further reading on the topic, which can also serve as starter bibliographies for researched papers.

Getting Started

We’ve designed the OACCT to be used flexibly by different readers in different ways:

  • Readers coming to the Canterbury Tales, especially for the first time, can choose an essay or reference chapter that interests them as a guide to thinking about Chaucer’s work.
  • Students can supplement their homework or class discussions by referring to specific discussions in the OACCT, along with proper references and citations. (We suggest that students check in with instructors before using resources not suggested in class.)
  • Teachers can assign chapters in the OACCT as part of their course outlines or syllabi and refer to particular sections as the basis for writing assignments or in-depth discussion.

The suggestions below are roughly divided into three parts:

  1. Before reading,
  2. During reading, and
  3. After reading.
  4. This three-fold process should prepare you for further reading.

By reading here we mean an engaged dialogue with the text, with yourself, and with others. A key to every phase of this process is to externalize your thoughts by writing them down or, at the very least, talking them over with someone. You can do this in reading circles or study groups, and a simple way to increase your retention and document your insights is by keeping a reading log.

Suggestions for Readers

(especially those coming to Chaucer for the first time)

  1. Begin by reading a translation, either in prose or poetic form, to get a sense of the content, the characters, and the plot – a number of decent translations are freely available online – but keep a Middle English version open as you read to begin to compare the versions.
  2. Once you have a sense of the basic outline of the tale or content, spend some time with the Middle English version, and then dive into the relevant essays in the OACCT. Take brief notes of questions you have: terms you don’t understand, Middle English phrases that intrigue but perhaps also confuse, and insights you have along the way.
  3. After you’ve read the translation, wrestled with the Middle English, worked through the OACCT chapter, and composed your thoughts, turn to the questions in the “Transformations” section and tackle one or two of the questions you find the most interesting. Keep a reading log where you can jot down your thoughts.
  4. Finally, keep track of what you find, and note additional questions you have or things you’d like to find out. You can try a regular web-based search engine for reputable sources (which often end in .edu), and you can try your searches in Google Scholar for a better sense of academic resources. You can also consult databases at your local library or university library (note that in many cases, libraries at public universities make their research resources open to the public). 

Don’t be discouraged if it takes you a while to begin to understand what’s going on! Even professional scholars like the editors and contributors to the OACCT get confused and have to re-read (and re-re-read) these texts — sometimes for years — to understand them well! 

Suggestions for Students

(especially those taking a course)

  1. If you’re unfamiliar with medieval literature and culture or the Canterbury Tales, give yourself enough time to get familiar with the basics, as above. It’s likely that if you’re using the OACCT as a student, it’s because you’ve been given an assignment. Be sure you understand what the assignment is asking you to do.
  2. As you read Chaucer’s work and the appropriate sections of the OACCT, be sure to take notes of your reactions, insights, and questions as you go in light of what your instructor has asked you to do, like investigate a character, look for symbols or patterns of language or imagery, or analyze a particular topic like gender for a paper or class discussion.
  3. After you’ve read the primary source (Chaucer’s work) and the secondary source (the OACCT chapter), take a look at the questions in the “Transformations” section to spur you toward other questions, considerations, and sources. Use them as a starting point for further research and see what others have written about the same Chaucerian text or medieval topic. Look for sources that are from peer-reviewed journals (which are often available through licensed full-text databases like Project Muse, JSTOR, or EBSCO).
  4. Because the OACCT has been structured so that you can dip your toe into different chapters, take a look at another chapter that seems to be related to the questions you’re asking yourself. It’s also likely that you’re reading Chaucer as part of a literature course involving other texts – perhaps in a medieval literature course, a world or British survey course (which looks at literature chronologically), or a themed course (which approaches literature with similar themes). Take a few minutes to quickly list other things you’ve read that seem to compare or to contrast with your understanding of the Canterbury tale (or segment) that you’ve just analyzed.

Remember that you can learn as much from what you don’t like as you can from what you do, so pay attention to your reaction (your first impression) and then you can begin turning it into a response (an analysis of why you have that reaction). Pay attention to any moment that impresses you in some way, either positively or negatively, or leaves you with a strong question or reservation.

Suggestions for Teachers

(especially those teaching undergraduate courses)

  1. Consider the relationship of the OACCT chapters to your instructional goals, student outcomes, assignment design, and pedagogical approaches. In a course devoted to Chaucer or to the Canterbury Tales, your class can examine a number of chapters over an entire term. In a survey course where you read a selection of tales, the chapters can introduce themes your class can examine across a range of texts, including other medieval and even more contemporary texts (like Hsy on ability and disability, Kline on children and violence, Lipton on love and marriage, or Steel on animals).
    • Reference chapters can be assigned near the beginning of a class. The chapter on “Middle English” can be used in conjunction with language preparation. Essay Chapters are intentionally created as non-modular and non-continuous. Chapters do not refer to each other. In many cases, chapters dwell exclusively on the tale they discuss and limit discussion of earlier or later tales.
    • You can assign chapters modularly to match the tales you have assigned on your syllabus or to emphasize certain tales or topics.
    • Additionally, some chapters deal with a range of material that may merit content warnings, including physical violence and sexual assault. We strongly recommend that teachers read over chapters before assigning and consider whether content warnings might be appropriate.
  2. Consider a flipped classroom setup, in which class time is devoted to collaborative work and student discussion: for example, around a particular chapter, theme, or passage rather than a lecture. The simplest model is allowing time in class for students to read, to take notes in their reading journals, and to collaborate – even on developing written assignments or tests. Allow time for students to discuss their reactions to the Chaucerian texts as well as both their insights, questions, and hesitations to the chapters from the OACCT.
    • If you teach to a student population with ready and engaged access to mobile electronic devices, you can even send them on mini “web quests” when a technical question arises in class and “gamify” the results as a contest.
    • Some chapters feature hyperlinks. Hyperlinks always contain optional additional information, never key clarifying information. In no case is following a link required for understanding the chapter, so all chapters can be printed and read offline. On the other hand, for some activities you might want to encourage students to check the online version of chapters to pursue links.
  3. Consider incorporating a “one-minute feedback” micro-response at the end of class in which you ask for students (1) to write a single sentence about the most significant insight they had that day and (2) to articulate a single term, concept, or issue that they have a question about. Read these quickly before the next class, and then use the student responses to frame the opening minutes of the next class period. You can learn a lot about the difference between what you think you are teaching and what your students are actually hearing with these mini-assessments.
  4. Finally, in order to best match the spirit of this project, consider encouraging students to be in critical dialogue with the chapters. Encouraging different views about the topic, considering aspects of the topic that the chapter could not cover, and evaluating the work of the chapter could all provide good topics for discussion. Debrief with students concerning what the OACCT chapters seemed to leave out, ignore, or otherwise minimize. Comparing the approaches taken in several different chapters could open up a discussion about scholarly method and the varieties of scholarly writing. We encourage students to be in this kind of critical dialogue with the chapters so that each chapter is not seen as an authoritative voice from above but instead as one “take” on the tale that can both model scholarly inquiry and suggest ideas, yet also not diminish the student’s own contribution.

The future of this Companion

As the OACCT develops, we encourage you, as a reader of the OACCT, to submit your questions, concerns, and suggestions about the material. We are especially interested in developing an “assignment bank” of syllabuses, course plans, individual assignments, and teaching strategies involving the OACCT at every level in which readers, students, and teachers find it useful.

In contrast to the printed “companion” volumes of the past, one of the great advantages of the OACCT is that its digital format will allow for material to be added, revised, and changed more quickly and more efficiently than traditional print volumes. We hope that it will become a model for inexpensive and high-quality collaborative projects that combine the best scholarly work with pedagogically innovative possibilities.

Please submit your suggestions and materials to opencanterburytales at gmail dot com and we will be in touch with you about how they might be used in the future. All contributions will be fully and appropriately credited if used.

 

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