Overall Reflections

When I was trying to decide what topic or tale to address in my next blog post I kept coming up with ideas. However, this was exactly the problem…I had way too many ideas! There were so many things that I wanted to say and a lot of thoughts that I wanted to explore, but by the time I had started delving into one of these in any depth, another idea would come into my mind. Lo and behold, I was left with more intriguing thoughts than I knew what to do with and in the end I became overwhelmed.

After a nice long break and some time to regain my sanity I revisited the idea of writing a blog post again, and thankfully this time something new occurred to me. Instead of choosing just one topic or tale to write about, I began to consider how they all worked together. I realize this is also somewhat of a complex task but getting too in depth and analytical was something that I wanted to avoid. I often feel like the allure and magic created by the complexities of Chaucer’s text can also be found in the simpler aspects of his works, however these latter, at least in my opinion, are often times brushed aside in preference of the former. While I do enjoy getting into the meat of a story/tale and really taking the time to analyze it, I also enjoy simply reading it without trying extremely or excessively hard to look further or beyond the text. I prefer this method overall because when I read like this I can allow a text to speak to me, as opposed to trying too forcefully to have its words meet my expectations. Sometimes with classes I feel like I am asked to immediately delve into a work with an analytical mindset, and to be honest this really prevents me from connecting with the text. I truly need that quiet, long and intimate time with a work in order to truly understand what it is possibly trying to tell me. I need to read it multiple times, and with each read-through I begin to turn my level of analytical thinking up. Considering all of this, I am so very glad that the structure of this course gave me the opportunity to do just that!

 I absolutely loved the way this particular course was designed because it gave me everything I needed when it came to the study of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Not only did I have enough time throughout the semester to critically analyze and think about the various meanings of his many tales, but I also had plenty of time to sit quietly with his work and read in a more simplistic manner. It was the combination of both of these reading methods that allowed me to discover and refine my understanding of the overall beauty of Chaucer. While his tales are great in and of themselves, they work even better as a whole unit.

However, at this point there is still so much more that I have yet to uncover in his tales and I honestly don’t know where I would have been if I didn’t have a whole semester to devote to this one text alone. Even though we read a separate tale each week I still feel like we were always thinking about how each one related to one another. I feel like this mindset was essential to my reading and understanding of Chaucer, and I don’t know that I would have gained it through another approach to reading the Canterbury Tales. I can hardly even imagine trying to tackle this monumental story in pieces or in conjunction with other works – it just wouldn’t have been as great of an experience!

Additionally, taking the time to consider/read Chaucer’s work as a whole provided me with an opportunity to delve into the world of the Middle English Language. I had some previous experience with Old English but this was my first time working so intensely and directly with the Middle English Language. As the semester went on I became much, much better at reading, and I didn’t find myself starting and stopping like I had in the beginning. It was also great that we were able to have such casual yet interactive class discussions. I often felt like I was missing pieces of Chaucer’s tales but after the discussions a lot of these pieces had been filled in for me. By the end of the semester I felt more comfortable not only with the Middle English Language itself, but also with my ability to derive meaning from it. At the start of the semester I was always second-guessing weather or not I was reading something correctly, but by the end of the semester I wasn’t doing this as much.

Overall, this entire experience was fantastic and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I loved having the ability to read Chaucer’s work as a whole and I thought the way the class was structured was fantastic. (Plus, who can forget the feast?! ) In the end I learned more than I really thought I would about Chaucer and his works.