PERSONA

This word, which in Latin means an actor's mask, refers to the personality of the writer within the text. This does not equate with his or her character in life: in The Canterbury Tales Chaucer assumes the persona of an innocent and credulous pilgrim but he was a sophisticated man. Even inside this work he shows himself, as narrator, to be shrewd and critical.

Trouthe

When reading Chaucer it is vital to realise that some words, which appear like modern English terms, have important differences in meaning. Trouthe does not mean truth but is a solemn promise on which a person's entire integrity resides and which must not be broken under any circumstances. The Franklin's Tale in The Canterbury Tales has its narrative base in two such conflicting promises.

Oral narration in The Canterbury Tales

We encounter this in literary study of The Canterbury Tales and it is important to recall that the frame narrative (the pilgrimage) implies that the stories are heard by listeners. Also the Tales would be taken in by ear if someone read aloud to an audience from one of the expensive texts available. This affects the composition as more blatant effects are needed, such as the narrator stating clearly when he or she is about to change the topic.
For detailed analysis of many of the Tales, visit my website Classics of English Literature also hyperlinked from this page.

USE OF ITALICS IN LITERATURE ESSAY

It is a convention, when writing about literature, to use italics for the titles of whole works. The titles of chapters, sections or individual poems are enclosed in double inverted commas.
In Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, one of the most popular is "The Wife of Bath's Tale."

If you are handwriting an essay, use underlining to represent italics.