HIS 101
Chaucer Paper

 

 

 

This candle marks the stop where the shrine (built 1220) of Saint Thomas Becket (1118-1170) stood in the Trinity Chapel of Canterbury cathedral. The candle is there because King Henry VIII (8) had the shrine destroyed in 1538 (and Becket's bones too). While in existence, the shrine was an extremely popular site for pilgrimage, which serves as the frame story for Chaucer's tales. Photo credit Pug!

Becket Shrine

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Read Chaucer, Canterbury Tales (only those tales in the Dover Thrift paperback edition: General Prologue, Knight's Tale, Miller's Prologue, Miller's Tale, Wife of Bath's Prologue and the Tale of the Wife of Bath.).

Answer the following question in a one-page paper.

Citing specific evidence from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (not from the textbook), how "religious" was medieval society (or was it not religious)?

Before proceeding, you might wish to read the short notes and review the study questions on Chaucer.

Your paper must follow this format.

Please take a moment to review Charlie's History Writing Center(See the tutorial on the one-page paper and the paper examples.) for specific information on the writing requirements for the assignments in the course. There is also a good example of a one-page paper available that will show you how to structure your paper. Please check this short explanation of what it means to cite historical evidence.

Your assignment should be submitted on Canvas.