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There is truly nothing groovier
than the writings of Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer, who is believed to have
been
born in 1340, is credited as one of the pillars of English Literature.
There are few records of Chaucer's life, making the details of his
early career very foggy. He held many jobs during the early part of his
life, including page for the Countess of Ulster, diplomat, and a scrap
metal collector. He worked as part of the English Army during the
Hundred Years' War.It is believed that from around 1360 to 1366 he
traveled through France and Spain. He married Philippa de Roet in 1366. On June 20, 1367 Chaucer
became a member of the royal court of King Edward III. This was a job
that allowed him to travel abroad, eventually taking him to locations
in Italy where many believe he learned about Italian poetry and
stories, which would later become a major influence on his own
work.
Throughout
the
later
part
of
his
life,
Chaucer held many occupations,
some in prestigious fields. He moved on to a job in the Customs Office
in London in 1374, and continued in this role for another twelve years.
He became a Member of Parliament for the city of Kent in 1386, one year
after the death of his wife Phiippa.
After
his
time
in
Parliament,
he
became
the foreman for many of the
architectural and construction projects for the King of England. He
started this work in 1389 and eventually retired with a pension from
the king. He retired to Westminster Abbey in 1399 and passed away in
1400. Throughout his travels, Chaucer worked on his writing and
although he lived an adventurous and noble life, he is remembered for
his contributions to the world of literature, specifically The Canterbury Tales.
Though
the
timeline
for
Chaucer's
work
on
the collection is
unconfirmed, he is believed to have started working on The Canterbury Tales in the early 1380s. Chaucer
wrote the stories as if they were being told by characters who were
part of a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury, where the shrine
of Saint Thomas Becket is located. The characters were encouraged to
tell their stories by their guide, who many critics believe to be a
representation of Chaucer himself, to pass the time on their journey.
Chaucer wrote his collection using Middle English, which was considered
the most modern literary language of Chaucer's time. He also was not
afraid to introduce women into the cast of characters. Though The Canterbury Tales were
never
finished
during
Chaucer's
life,
it
remains
one of the most
cherished pieces of English writings.
While
the
original
characters
are
traveling
in
search of a religious experience
in Canterbury, many modern readers would have difficulty relating to
that. In my frametale,
we are going to jump into the future with the pilgrims to 1969. Instead
of the characters traveling to Saint Thomas Becket's shrine, they will
be maneuvering their way to Bethel,
New
York
in
August
to
experience
the
three most important days in music
history - Woodstock. The hipsters will be picked up as hitchhikers by
our faithful guide, known as Jeff to his friends and Geoffrey Chaucer
to his family, in his classic Volkswagen Bus. The retelling will follow
our characters as they tell each other stories to pass the time through
throngs of traffic on their way to three days of peace, love and music.
In Sushine from San Fransisco,
we
are
transported
to
a hippie commune as Knight tries to find out the
ultimate meaning of being a flower child with the help of Lady
Moonbeam. We meet Dori, a Vietnam protester whose boyfriend gets
drafted into war and makes a deal with another man to get him back home
from Vietnam safely, in Mikey from
Omaha. In the third story, Austin
from
Austin, a frontman of a popular band tests his girlfriend's
loyalty in some cruel ways. Finally, the storybook concludes with Nick from New York, which tells the
story of a hippie-turned-Hare Krishna Hugo and his experiences in life.
As I mentioned before, there is really
nothing groovier
than
Geoffrey
Chaucer's The
Canterbury Tales.
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The last riff of Pinball Wizard played over the speakers
Jeff had set up in his van. Trying to listen to the album "Tommy" while
driving his VW was proving difficult,
because every single bump in the road caused the needle on the
makeshift car stereo, which was made out of a turntable, jump and skip.
Jeff was annoyed at how this uneven road was ruining the vision of The
Who. He pulled off into the Gas-N-Go to fill up on snacks and fuel. He
still had a day's worth of driving to get to Woodstock and he was bored
already. Jeff made his purchases and headed back to the parking lot.
When he glanced at his bus from across the parking lot, he saw four
figures propped up against the bumper.
"Hey
brother,
radical
ride
you
have
here,"
hollered
the tallest guy. Jeff
nodded and flashed a peace sign at his new acquaintances.
"Thanks,
man,
that's
really
cool
of
you
to
say. Very cool. Can I help you all
out with something? I wouldn't want to leave any of my brothers and
sisters in need of anything. What's going on?" Jeff asked the group. He
looked over at the two chicks on the edge of the silver bumper. There
was a big canvas duffel bag at their feet, with the second guy lying on
the ground and resting his head against it. Jeff got a good vibe from
all of them.
"Well,
where
are
you
heading?
You
look
like
you could be going in our
direction," said one of the girls. She had a very slow and relaxed tone
to her voice. She reminded Jeff of Janis Joplin.
"Woodstock,
baby,
Woodstock,"
replied
Jeff.
"Hey
man,
we
want
to
head
there
too.
We don't have money to offer you but it
has to be lonely in that van for such a long ride. We have food though,
and some tunes, and my friend here has a guitar that he jams on. Do you
have some space to spare?" The taller guy looked at Jeff longingly, and
Jeff understood his plight. Who would want to miss the most important
three days in music history?
"Yeah,
brother.
If
you
can
tell
me
some
stories to help pass the time, I'm all
for this road trip. We're all family here. Hop in the back. Let's get
on the road!" With that sentiment, the travelers packed into the
Volkswagen and got back onto the highway.
|
 Image Information: VW Bus Web Source: World Car Fans |
| Story
1: Sunshine from San Fransisco |
| Story 2:
Mikey from Omaha |
| Story
3:
Austin from Austin |
| Story 4: Nick
from New York |
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