Introductory
The art of story-telling originated since the existence of mankind. In its early form, it was narrated through oral practice but in verse form. People used to remember thousands of verses containing the stories of bravery of soldiers and the battles of gods in ancient time. As soon as man became more rational, he started 'acting' and presenting stories through different characters, actors, chorus and actions, thus forming drama. After acquiring acquaintance with writing, different genres of story-telling were experimented. Novel was among them. Novel is a modern addition to story-narration but narration on paper. Geoffrey Chaucer, an eminent poet of Pre-Renaissance Era, forked both dramatic and novelistic elements in his famous poetic genius, Prologue to the Canterbury Tales.
Novel
The Oxford Dictionary reads the definition of an ideal novel as thus:
"Novel is a fictitious narrative or tale of considerable length in which characters and actions are a representation of real-life; of past and present; in a plot of more or less complexity. "
A novel contains the elements of narration, description, dialogue, plot, a noticeable length of either 40,000 to 60,000 words or more than one hundred pages. The characters and incidents are only crafted through a writer's imagination but are a depiction of real life.
Drama
"A state, a situation or a series of events that can be presented on a stage, with the help of dialogues dealing with interesting or intense forces of conflict. "
Dialogue is the soul of a drama, while actions explain the dialogues uttered by an actor. Drama may have a plot or sub-plots but it is divided into several episodes. In drama, a story unfolds through oral correspondence between different characters.
Some Novelistic Impressions in The Prologue
Geoffrey Chaucer is an x-ray machine as he can scan through all the physical appearances as well as the mental capabilities of the people and society around him. He is a keen observer of his surroundings, people and their clothes; pets and animals; plants and trees; habits and excuses; vices and virtues. The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is the finest example of his novelistic approach. But instead of sketching fictitious characters, he photocopies the actuality of people. He portrays the pilgrims as they were in their lives. He follows the idea, "Words must be cousins to their deeds. ". The white pimples of the Summoner, the small face and pointing nose of The Prioress, the silver lining on the belt of The Sergeant of Law, the bag of The Pardoner brimful of pardons and the moral deafness of Wife of Bath are some notable impressions which are borrowed by all major novelists.
Some Dramatic Expressions in The Prologue
Narration through dialogues forms drama. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a long narrative in verse. The story told by the pilgrims is a weighty account of vast observation of Chaucer and Pilgrims too. The characters in the prologue are living; through their dialogues and actions. For instance, The Summoner says that money is the hell of Archdeacon. The host invites Knight to draw a cut. After jumping from the Prologue, The Miller and Reeve are seen poking each other's nose. The Silent Knight speaks out loudly and declares the Monk's tale dull and uninteresting. The dramatic pen picture of the vastness of inn and their departure from the hostelry are fine example of dramatic expression.
Views of Critics
The views of critics vary from each other but all are agreed at one point that Chaucer had been the master of depiction. S. D. Neil is in the opinion of if Chaucer had written in prose, his work would be considered as the first English novel than Richardson's Pamela. A critic also says if one takes thirty per cent of Goldsmith, fifty of Henry Fielding and twenty of Walter Scott, their sum is merely reachable to the fourteenth-century spirit of Chaucer. R. K. Root observes that Chaucer proves himself a master of the art of characterization, skilful in his handling of dialogue, delighting in action, and keenly alive to the value of effective situation and climax. Saintsburry points out that Chaucer's tolerant, not in the least cynical, observation and relish of humanity gave him a power of representing it, which has been rarely surpassed in any respect save depth. Whatever he expressed, obtained through a keen observation of his whereabouts.
Conclusion
Elements of novels and drama aside, Chaucer has successfully portrayed his observations that no other dramatist and novelist has matched his mentality. If he had been a contemporary to Shakespeare, he would have marked himself as an eminent playwright; if he had born with Fielding, he would have written another 'Comic Epic in Prose. But he is the matchless dramatic and novelistic poet of Medieval Era.
Forged from: https://neoenglishsystem.blogspot.com/2010/09/elements-of-drama-and-novel-in-prologue.html
nice efforts
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete