Narrative Morality and Audience

The Canterbury Tales

This flow follows how storytellers frame, interrupt, and redirect their tales in order to control the moral response of listeners.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

The Knight’s Restraint The Knight’s Restraint from "The Canterbury Tales". The Knight’s Restraint Refusal of Digression The Knight summarizes Theseus’s earlier conquests rather than narrating every battle.

The Knight’s Restraint from "The Canterbury Tales". The Knight’s Restraint Refusal of Digression The Knight summarizes Theseus’s earlier conquests rather than narrating every battle.

The Knight’s Restraint Refusal of Digression The Knight summarizes Theseus’s earlier conquests rather than narrating every battle. He values the movement of the tale over exhaustive display. Narrative Discipline His brevity establishes a standard of controlled storytelling. Later speakers will challenge that standard through excess, interruption, or comic disorder.

Friar’s Attack Friar’s Attack from "The Canterbury Tales". Friar’s Attack Targeted Storytelling The Friar chooses a tale about a Summoner and repeatedly emphasizes the man’s crimes.

Friar’s Attack from "The Canterbury Tales". Friar’s Attack Targeted Storytelling The Friar chooses a tale about a Summoner and repeatedly emphasizes the man’s crimes.

Friar’s Attack Targeted Storytelling The Friar chooses a tale about a Summoner and repeatedly emphasizes the man’s crimes. The narrative is shaped by professional rivalry. Moral and Retaliation The story warns against corruption but also functions as an attack on a social enemy. Its moral energy is inseparable from spite.

Student’s Framing Student’s Framing from "The Canterbury Tales". Student’s Framing Learned Transmission The Student attributes the tale to Petrarch and describes its elevated source.

Student’s Framing from "The Canterbury Tales". Student’s Framing Learned Transmission The Student attributes the tale to Petrarch and describes its elevated source.

Student’s Framing Learned Transmission The Student attributes the tale to Petrarch and describes its elevated source. Authority is established before Griselda appears. Reinterpretive Ending The tale later warns women not to imitate Griselda and men not to imitate Walter. Framing controls how a troubling story should be received.

Pardoner’s Self-Exposure Pardoner’s Self-Exposure from "The Canterbury Tales". Pardoner’s Self-Exposure Confession as Performance The Pardoner openly explains how he deceives congregations.

Pardoner’s Self-Exposure from "The Canterbury Tales". Pardoner’s Self-Exposure Confession as Performance The Pardoner openly explains how he deceives congregations.

Pardoner’s Self-Exposure Confession as Performance The Pardoner openly explains how he deceives congregations. His honesty seems to cancel hypocrisy, yet it is itself part of his rhetorical show. Audience Complicity Listeners can admire his craft while condemning his greed. The tale makes moral response unstable because the corrupt speaker is also an effective teacher.

Nun’s Priest’s Moral Nun’s Priest’s Moral from "The Canterbury Tales". Nun’s Priest’s Moral Comic Surface The tale contains talking animals, sexual comedy, and exaggerated pursuit.

Nun’s Priest’s Moral from "The Canterbury Tales". Nun’s Priest’s Moral Comic Surface The tale contains talking animals, sexual comedy, and exaggerated pursuit.

Nun’s Priest’s Moral Comic Surface The tale contains talking animals, sexual comedy, and exaggerated pursuit. Its entertainment value prevents the moral from becoming simple sermon. Extracting the Fruit The narrator asks readers to separate instruction from ornament. Meaning is presented as something the audience must actively recover.

Opening of The Knight’s Tale

Opening of The Friar’s Tale

Opening of The Student’s Tale

Before the Three Rioters’ exemplum

After Chanticleer’s escape