Videos Presented Week. Identify a Piece Art,

¶ … videos presented week. Identify a piece art, music, architecture, philosophy, The work of literature from the high and late Middle Ages that was analyzed in this week's readings and videos and which resonated the most was Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. This piece of literature is fascinating partly because it is so emblematic of this particular timeframe in a number of different ways. Specifically, the preoccupation with the theme of religion which dominates this book is extremely indicative of this time period in general.

During the high and the late Middle Ages the crusades were taking place, in which many Christians were motivated to attempt to reclaim the territory that had fallen into the hands of infidels. Chaucer's work was partly inspired by the fact this type of sentiment as the basic premise is that a motley assortment of Christians are going on a religious pilgrimage and decide to pass the time by telling stories.

Such a preoccupation with religion and with Christianity in particular is definitely demonstrative of the Middle Ages, which some might argue is simply a euphemism for the dark ages that Europe underwent when it largely forsook pursuits of knowledge and science in favor of chivalry and feudalism. In this respect, Chaucer's work is representative of this zeitgeist in that it indicates that the preoccupation with religion that took place during much of this time period was not always necessarily beneficial.

For instance, if one analyzes the tale of the Wife of Bath, one sees how it is filled with an assortment of lewd details about sex and domination in the relationship between men and women (Chaucer, 1904). Yet this one particular woman considers herself a good Christian and a good person because of that fact.

It is this type of belief -- that an adherence to Christianity is the singular most important thing for a person -- that partly contributed to the lack of scientific and intellectual development for which this specific epoch was known. Perhaps the most convincing evidence of this fact is the reality that during the time period that immediately followed the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, several conceptions that were held in high esteem during the Middle Ages were displaced.

The esteem of religion was one of these, if not the biggest one. The Catholic Reformation followed the Renaissance (some consider it a cultural consequence of the Renaissance), and indicates that several people were not willing to grant the sort of impunity to religious and government officials that they were granted during the Middle Ages simply because these officials embraced Christianity. Luther's 95 Theses and the differences between Lutheranism and the Roman Catholic Church emphasized this intolerance (White, 1989, p. 38).

In this respect Chaucer's work presages this sentiment because it depicts some of the arbitrary, wayward aspects of Christianity and applications of this literature. Finally, however, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is noteworthy because it also showcases some of the virtues of Christianity which were celebrated during the Middle Ages and in contemporary times. Certain characters.