When I first tried to answer the question posed in class of
which two tales would work best for an introduction to a British Literature
course, I’ll have to admit that I was a bit stumped.
To be completely honest my first instinct was to want to
say, “anything but the Wife of Bath,” but of course I immediately thought the
better of it. There is no way possible to teach the Canterbury Tales, or even a British Literature course without
mentioning the Wife of Bath, and indeed to do so would truly be a shame. Even
though I don’t particularly enjoy this tale, as I feel like it is oftentimes
too overplayed, I do realize that this is due to its very real significance and
importance. I’ve had the W.O.B taught in too many classes to count, (which is
why I no longer particularly enjoy reading it) however, students taking an
introductory course to British literature need to be exposed to this tale. They
don’t need to be beaten over the head with it… but they do need to know it.
In addition, I also believe that teaching The Pardoner’s
tale would be a fantastic idea for an introduction course! The most obvious
reason for this would be the clear connections between this tale and that of
the Three Brother’s from, Harry Potter.
I feel like this is a fantastic connection to utilize and take advantage of
because many people who are familiar with Rowling’s story may not realize that it
has its roots in Chaucer’s tale. This may be just me, but I also believe that
this tale doesn’t get as much attention or exposure (at least considering the
background of those who would be taking an intro course) which is why it makes
for a more interesting choice. This was only my second time reading this tale
as opposed to the Wife of Bath, which I’ve read over and over.
So to sum everything up, and after a lot of thought and
deliberation, I believe that the two tales I’d recommend for an intro to
British Literature course would be the Wife of Bath and the Pardoner’s Tale.
There is no escaping the former but I truly believe the latter is a unique and refreshing
choice in so many different ways, and combined they balance each other out perfectly.
It was incredibly difficult to chose but in the end I feel like these two make
for the best pair.
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Also, as I was about to post this entry I noticed Heather’s
post on the blog, which talks about this same subject. Clearly we’re of a
similar mind because we chose the same two tales! I figured I’d mention this here
instead of in a comment since it was easier but I really liked what she had to
say about the Wife of Bath. Read it if you haven’t already because its great :)
So far Wife of Bath’s Tale and the Pardoner’s Tale have the most votes, and after reading what you and Heather I’m starting to agree. I agree that the Wife of Bath prologue and tale is both over used and inescapable. I have noticed the prologue often overshadows the tale, maybe because people do not expect to find the Wife of Bath the person in medieval literature. Whatever the cause, I think the two are inseparable and one should not be there without the other. I am less certain about the Pardoner’s Tale. When we read it, I did not see much connection between it and other medieval works. But both you and Heather have pointed out how much it does tie in with other pieces, including contemporary pieces, and I am starting to have more appreciation for this under–read tale.
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