Thursday, September 29, 2011

Chaucer Fuss - The Reeve's Tale

Chaucer's "The Reeve's Tale" continues the theme of illicit sexual activity in medieval England while providing an account of a traveling scholar.

A few months ago I read The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England. Within those pages Ian Mortimer suggested that England's medieval population often helped neighbors in plight. Chaucer's story seems to be constructed on a subversion of this notion. "The Reeve's Tale" portrays travellers as mischievous and deviant. It is the traveling scholar seeking hospitality who attacks the honour and respect of the family providing his room and board.

Monday, September 19, 2011

First Two Weeks of Library School

Ahhhh, I haven't written in here forever!

How's the program going?
It's intense. Confusing. Mind-boggling. And, thankfully, interesting.

On the off chance that I'm not thinking about school work and assignments and course readings, I'm thinking about how much I miss E. I'm sure I'll get my head into the right space soon enough.

Lately, we've been learning about just how much information is out there needing to be organized and managed. We've delved into cataloguing, reference work, and IT (the scariest of the scariest topics for me).

They're also supplying us with many, many videos on the crazily expanding amount of information. Here's a recent one:

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Chaucer Fuss - The Miller's Tale

We are quickly introduced to the miller in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. The miller, described as an athletic and charismatic man, tells a graphic tale of adultery. The wit and sexual capabilities of an intellectual and tradesman are pitted against each other within this work.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Book Blogger Hop

Book Blogger Hop

This week the Book Blogger Hop asks:

"What are you most looking forward to this fall/autumn season - a particular book release? Halloween? The leaves changing colour? Cooler temperatures? A vacation?"

A:
Library school! I'm starting my master's program this fall (after eagerly waiting for *months*). Yesterday we had a general orientation to the campus and community. I am so very excited to get started on my classes next week! Stay tuned for future posts on my experiences in the program and path to becoming a fully fledged librarian and information scientist :)

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Chaucer Fuss - The Knight's Tale

"The Knight's Tale," Chaucer's first character-led story in The Canterbury Tales, explores gender relations and notions of marriage in medieval England.

The Knight, a man of chivalry and little means, tells the tale of an ancient love triangle. For, as luck should have it, two men imprisoned in a jail cell fall in love with the same woman, Emily. Locked in their cell, the men may only steal glances of Emily as she walks outside their prison window. The Knight provides an account of each man's escape from prison, search for Emily, and battle to win her heart.
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