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History says a hundred schools
Editor|Shi Shuo Baijia
Introduction:
Medieval England was a colorful era full of cultural, artistic and literary flourishes, during which ukiyo-e became an important art form that vividly showed all aspects of medieval society through a combination of illustration and text, and Chaucer's Franklin's Tale is one of the most famous ukiyo-e works of this period.
What was the social impact of The Franklin Story?
One. The historical background of Franklin's Story
Medieval England was an agrarian society in which people's lives were closely related to nature, and during this period, the social structure consisted of feudal rule, feudal relations between lords and peasants.
Religion played an important role in the life of society, the Catholic Church held great power, and this period was also a time of flourishing chivalry and heroism, especially during the Crusades and the Hundred Years' War.
Chaucer's Franklin's Tales was written in the late 14th century, at a time of great change in English society.
Historically, this period is known as the Late English Middle Ages and a prelude to the English Renaissance, and the social and cultural changes of this period had an important impact on the creation of The Franklin Tales.
In late medieval England, the development of commerce and trade brought about changes in the socio-economic structure, and the rise of wealthy merchants and the commercial class blurred the lines between social classes.
This social change led to the rise of a middle class dedicated to acquiring wealth and status through commerce, and Franklin in The Franklin Story is one such representative middle-class figure who became rich through trade and enjoyed a prosperous life.
Chaucer wrote Franklin's Tales on the eve of the English Reformation, a period when Martin Luther's Reformation was making waves in Europe.
Although Anglican was still Catholic during this period, the ideas of the Reformation had penetrated into all levels of society, and some of the storylines and characters in "The Story of Franklin" can be regarded as discussions and reflections on the religious issues of the time.
Chaucer's depiction of medieval English society was also influenced by the political situation of the time, and in the late 14th century, Britain was experiencing the brunt of the Hundred Years' War, a conflict between Britain and France that lasted for more than a hundred years.
The war had a huge impact on British society and the economy, and some of the storylines and characters in Franklin's Tales reflect the impact of the war on people's lives.
The historical context of medieval English society provided Chaucer with rich material and inspiration for Franklin's Tales, which is reflected in socio-economic changes, the Reformation and political upheaval.
By depicting various characters and their stories, Chaucer not only shows the diversity of medieval British society, but also deeply reflects and discusses the social phenomena and values of the time.
Two. Thematic analysis of The Franklin Story
Chaucer's Franklin's Tales is a literary work consisting of a series of stories, each with its own plot and theme.
These stories illustrate the various moral concepts and value systems of medieval British society in the form of ukiyo-e. Below is an analysis of the main themes of Franklin's Tales.
Honor and integrity, honor and integrity is one of the important themes in Franklin's Story, the characters in the story show the value of honor and integrity by keeping their promises, keeping their promises, and maintaining honesty and integrity, for example, the story of the knight and the crow in the story reveals the importance of honor, and the deceptive behavior in various stories emphasizes the consequences of the lack of integrity.
Love and marriage, love and marriage is another theme that runs throughout the book. Chaucer shows the concept of love and the institution of marriage in medieval society through different stories.
Some stories depict sincere and lasting love relationships, such as The Touchstone and The Story of Genevila, while others explore fraud and betrayal in marriage, such as The Story of John Rooker and The Story of Jason and Maria.
Friendship and social relationships, friendship and social relations are also important themes in "Franklin's Story", the characters in the story show the preciousness of friendship and the importance of social interaction through mutual help, mutual support and loyal friendship relationships, for example, two friends in "The Story of a Lady" support each other in difficult situations, showing the power of true friendship.
Wealth and pleasure, wealth and pleasure is one of the recurring themes in The Franklin Tales, and some of the stories in the work explore the effects of wealth and pleasure on personal well-being, however, Chaucer also reveals the destruction and misfortune of greed and excessive pleasure through stories.
Morality and Lessons, as a collection of moral stories, Chaucer's Franklin's Tales is primarily intended to enlighten readers through the moral lessons in the story.
Each story contains a moral or ethical concept that educates the reader through the actions and consequences of the characters, and these stories reveal the contrast between good and evil, guide the reader to think and learn from it.
Through these themes, Chaucer explores the values, morals, and norms of behavior of medieval English society in Franklin's Tales.
He vividly presents these themes in the form of stories, which not only satisfies the reader's need for entertainment, but also provides readers with moral and ethical thinking and inspiration, which makes "The Franklin's Tale" one of the most fascinating and educational works in medieval English ukiyo-e.
Three. The art style of Franklin's Tales
Chaucer's Franklin's Tales occupies an important place in medieval English ukiyo-e with its unique artistic style, and the following is an expanded analysis of the artistic style of the work.
Illustration drawing techniques, the illustrations of The Franklin Tale adopt the typical drawing techniques of medieval ukiyo-e, Chaucer gives vivid images to the characters and scenes in the story through delicate lines and meticulous details, and the characters in the illustrations often have exaggerated characteristics to highlight the plot and theme of the story.
The use of color, Chaucer's illustrations also have unique features in the use of color, he uses bright and rich colors, through the contrast of colors and bright tones to attract the reader's attention, the use of color is not only to beautify the illustration, but more importantly, to convey the atmosphere of emotions and plots.
In terms of composition, "Franklin's Story" uses a variety of techniques to attract the reader's visual attention, Chaucer skillfully uses diagonal, symmetry and layering and other composition principles, so that the illustration has artistic beauty and a sense of space, this composition technique can not only attract the reader's attention, but also highlight the importance of the storyline and theme.
Detailing, detailing is a distinctive feature of the illustrations of Franklin's Tales, Chaucer pays attention to depicting the facial expressions, costumes and postures of the characters, as well as the details of the objects and environment in the background, this fine portrayal makes the illustrations more realistic and three-dimensional, and the reader can better integrate into the story.
The storytelling echoes the picture, and the illustrations of "Franklin's Tale" closely echo the storyline, and each illustration is closely related to the corresponding story, conveying the key plots and themes in the story through the form of painting.
Through the combination of painting and text, Chaucer allows readers to read the story while feeling the content and emotions of the story visually.
The artistic style of Franklin's Tales showcases Chaucer's unique talent and creative style in medieval English ukiyo-e.
Through the use of artistic elements such as painting techniques, color use, composition and detailing, Chaucer successfully transforms the storyline and theme into a visual image, so that readers can better understand and feel the meaning of the story.
This unique artistic style gave The Franklin Tale a unique artistic charm and had a profound influence on the art of ukiyo-e in later generations.
Four. The social impact of The Franklin Story
The Franklin Tale, as a literary work of moral education, had a wide impact on medieval English society.
Tools for moral education: The Franklin Story becomes an important tool for moral education with its well-choreographed storyline and moral lessons.
The moral concepts and value systems displayed in the work had a profound impact on the moral accomplishment and code of conduct of the society at that time, and by revealing various moral issues and the consequences of the characters' actions, the work inspired readers to think and reflect on moral choices.
The shaping of social behavioral norms, Franklin's Tales, reveals the norms of behavior and moral norms in medieval English society through the characters and plots in the story.
The storylines and characters in the work became models of social behavior norms, influencing the moral concepts and behavior habits of the society at that time, and readers can understand what is the behavior that is recognized and respected by society by appreciating and reading these stories.
Reflecting social realities and touching social issues, the storyline in Franklin's Tales reflects the realities and problems of society at that time. The works deal with multiple social issues such as power, love, marriage, wealth and socialization, revealing the problems and challenges of various levels of medieval British society, and these stories stimulate social discussion and thinking, and have a certain impact on the reform and change of society at that time.
Cultural inheritance and influence, the circulation and influence of "Franklin's Story" transcended the social environment of the time, and the storyline and moral lessons in the work were widely disseminated in later generations, and had a lasting impact in English literature and drama, and it became a classic of medieval English literature, providing inspiration and reference for later writers and artists.
Promoting cultural exchange and social cohesion, "Franklin's Story" promotes cultural exchange and social cohesion between different social classes through its rich and diverse storylines and diverse character images.
The stories in the work involve characters of different classes and professions, showing their lives, values and ways of behaving, through which mutual understanding and communion between different social groups are achieved.
The Franklin Tale, as a literary work of moral education, had a profound impact on medieval English society.
It has played an important role in moral education, shaping behavioral norms, reflecting social issues, cultural inheritance and social cohesion.
This work not only brought a positive impact on the society at that time, but also left a valuable legacy for the literary creation and social development of future generations.
Through an in-depth analysis of Chaucer's Franklin's Tales, we can see the importance and influence of this work in medieval English ukiyo-e.
With vivid stories and beautiful illustrations, it shows the diversity and complexity of medieval society, and as a tool for moral education, it had a profound impact on medieval British society, shaping the values and codes of conduct of people at that time.
Chaucer's Franklin's Tale is not only an excellent literary work, but also one of the masterpieces of medieval English ukiyo-e, leaving a valuable legacy for future generations of artistic creation and cultural inheritance.
Bibliography:
A Brief Exploration of the Beauty of Medieval French Literature Luo Guoxiang; Zhou Jin: New horizons in humanities
Calamity, Divine Grace and Prayer for Healing: The Plague Imagination in Western Ancient and Medieval Literature Guan Xinfu