Tuesday, November 17, 2020

Reading Notes: Canterbury Tales, Part A

The Franklin's Tale: The Promise of Dorigen

Observations:
  • Starts in the classic way of saying "there once was..." I enjoy tales that start this way.
  • The knight, Arviragus, was fair and true, which is all a knight should be.
  • I like the fact that there is a love story. I don't think I've written a love story for this class so I will be interested to see what elements I can pull from this tale
  • This is a classic story of love and tragedy.
  • The story is centered around the broken heart of the young woman, Dorigen. I don't love how the story ascribes to the classic tropes that young women are crazy or hysteric when they don't have their man. I understand that this was just the writing style of the time, but perhaps I could change things up in such a way that there are no sexist and outdated ideas in my story for the week. 
    • I think doing a gender switch could be good for this. 
  • Her friends seem like good people trying to draw her out of her depression.
  • There is good imagery about the garden, but it could stand to do a little more showing, rather than telling, the reader about the beautiful florals. 
  • I don't like the young squire and his unrequited love. I think it is a bit creepy when people so desperately pine over someone they don't have that they literally die? Call me crazy, but that does not seem like the most rational option here. 
  • When he is begging her to love him at the end of the story it is just kind of cringe-worthy. 



Dorigen and the squire
(Image by Mary Eliza Haweis, from wikimedia commons)


The Promise of Dorigen (cont.)

Observations
  • I'm proud of Dorigen for outright rejecting the squire. I think women are often written so that they succumb to the will of any man that wants them.
  • Okay, I should have seen it coming that there would be some twist where the squire would make some miracle happen so that the rocks would sink and Dorigen would have to be his wife. I do not like him.
  • I'm glad Arviragus actually came back and was good to Dorigen. She deserved it. 
  • I truly do not care about the squire's pain at all. He wants another man's wife and she already said no. 
  • I hate that the squire's brother is in on the scheme. Men.
  • I do not like where the story is going. I think the magic is going to work in the squire's favor.

The Promise of Dorigen (cont. again)

Observations
  • This magician seems sketchy, and I truly hope he does not end up fulfilling his promise to Aurelius. 
  • Okay this story is actually turning out to be extremely sad. I desperately want Dorigen to be with the man she wants to be with, rather than having to fulfil some promise she made in a desperate attempt to get rid of an annoying man. 
  • I feel so bad for Arviragus. I hate this. I understand that he wants her to honor her promise, but didn't she make a promise to him first by promising to be his wife forever?

The Promise of Dorigen (end)

Observations
  • Okay my hatred for Aurelius lessened a little bit when he understood that Dorigen was in pain and let her go back to Arviragus. 
  • I am very pleased that the story ended with the two lovers rightfully together.
  • I also like the fact that the magician released Aurelius from his bond because he was heartbroken.
  • As for the question at the end of the story, "which of these three men were the most generous," I think Arviragus was the most generous. He was willing to give up his wife in order to have her keep a promise. 

Bibliography:
The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (1908)

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