The Colours of Rethoryk: Historical Influences on Red and White Color Symbolism in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales"
Location
Room 207, Schewel Hall
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Entry Number
103
Start Date
4-5-2023 11:30 AM
End Date
4-5-2023 11:45 AM
College
Lynchburg College of Arts and Sciences
Department
History
Keywords
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, Art, Color, Red, White, Medieval History, Art History, Material Culture, Visual Culture
Abstract
This thesis explores the importance of Red and White color pairing in the descriptive and symbolic frameworks of The Canterbury Tales as the work was influenced by art and material culture of its age. It identifies areas where various connotations attributed to Red and White in literature are conveyed through non-literary sources related to the work through Geoffrey Chaucer's diverse and eventful life. This thesis ultimately elucidates how Chaucer used more than esoteric literary concepts in devising the historical and social commentary present in The Canterbury Tales. I first explore briefly the history of Red and White color symbolism, both in isolation and in tandem, and identify the broad societal assessments of these hues which impacted Chaucer's medieval age most profoundly through their presentation in myriad forms of art and visual culture. I then treat six of these assessments by synthesizing them with a corresponding tale or tales from The Canterbury Tales, identifying how Chaucer's strategic alteration of Red and White synthesis lends itself to the greater societal message in the tale and has a particular parallel with his own lived experience or material cultural element of his age. Through such an examination, I argue that Chaucer was influenced by more than just literary analogues in devising the themes and structure of his Canterbury Tales; his diverse career obligations and experiences with various aspects of material culture made these elements of his life ideal influences for the color synthesis he consistently employs in the Tales. The synthesis's manipulation between tales reflects the multifaceted interpretation of color which Chaucer was attuned to, as it permeated the Middle Ages and indeed every era of history.
Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Scott Amos Dr. Elza Tiner Dr. Laura Kicklighter
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The Colours of Rethoryk: Historical Influences on Red and White Color Symbolism in Geoffrey Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales"
Room 207, Schewel Hall
This thesis explores the importance of Red and White color pairing in the descriptive and symbolic frameworks of The Canterbury Tales as the work was influenced by art and material culture of its age. It identifies areas where various connotations attributed to Red and White in literature are conveyed through non-literary sources related to the work through Geoffrey Chaucer's diverse and eventful life. This thesis ultimately elucidates how Chaucer used more than esoteric literary concepts in devising the historical and social commentary present in The Canterbury Tales. I first explore briefly the history of Red and White color symbolism, both in isolation and in tandem, and identify the broad societal assessments of these hues which impacted Chaucer's medieval age most profoundly through their presentation in myriad forms of art and visual culture. I then treat six of these assessments by synthesizing them with a corresponding tale or tales from The Canterbury Tales, identifying how Chaucer's strategic alteration of Red and White synthesis lends itself to the greater societal message in the tale and has a particular parallel with his own lived experience or material cultural element of his age. Through such an examination, I argue that Chaucer was influenced by more than just literary analogues in devising the themes and structure of his Canterbury Tales; his diverse career obligations and experiences with various aspects of material culture made these elements of his life ideal influences for the color synthesis he consistently employs in the Tales. The synthesis's manipulation between tales reflects the multifaceted interpretation of color which Chaucer was attuned to, as it permeated the Middle Ages and indeed every era of history.