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Chaucer's People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England
'A holiday in the complex, joyful, indelicate medieval world'John Higgs, author of Watling StreetChaucer's People is an absorbing and revealing guide to the Middle Ages, populated with Chaucer's pilgrims from The Canterbury Tales. These are lives spent at the pedal of a loom, maintaining the ledgers of an estate or navigating the high seas. Drawing on contemporary experiences of a vast range of subjects including trade, religion, toe-curling remedies and hair-raising recipes, bestselling historian Liza Picard recreates the medieval world in glorious detail.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
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1210 people want to read
About the author
Liza Picard
8 books114 followersLiza Picard was born in 1927. She read law at the London School of Economics and qualified as a barrister, but did not practise. She spent many years working in the office of the Solicitor of the Inland Revenue and lived in Gray’s Inn and Hackney, before retiring to live in Oxford.
Her legal training encouraged her to seek original evidence, rather than rely on other peoples' research. This she says ‘is always to be recommended. It’s hard work but can be fascinating.’ Restoration London, the result of many years' interest and research into London life, was her first book.
Her legal training encouraged her to seek original evidence, rather than rely on other peoples' research. This she says ‘is always to be recommended. It’s hard work but can be fascinating.’ Restoration London, the result of many years' interest and research into London life, was her first book.
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July 21, 2020The Wife of Bath was married 5 times, the youngest at age 12 (her choice), she says about husbands:
And if they don't fulfil their part of the bargain, it's on to the next one!
This is as interesting as are all of Liza Picard's historical books. Plenty of detail of ordinary people's lives. One that amused me was that the jutting upper stories of wooden houses (which all burned down in the Great Fire of London) were built with a hole to empty the chamber pot onto the street below. Nice. No wonder they were forbidden. One wonders what happened to Roman London, the Romans had toilets that carried the waste away, but that technology got forgotten.
"Marriage implies a bargain. The wife owed her husband a duty to be cheerful and obedient. The husband owed his wife an obligation to satisfy her sexually. After all, why else had God, that wise Creator, given men their dual-purpose penises, which could both urinate and procreate? ‘Now wherewith should man make his payment, if he didn't use his blessed instrument?'She blamed her rampant libido on her birth sign; there was nothing she could do about it. She had been born under the zodiac sign of Venus so she,
'‘Followed aye mine inclination. By virtue of my constellation that made me so that I could not withdraw my chamber of Venus from a good fellow.'"
And if they don't fulfil their part of the bargain, it's on to the next one!
This is as interesting as are all of Liza Picard's historical books. Plenty of detail of ordinary people's lives. One that amused me was that the jutting upper stories of wooden houses (which all burned down in the Great Fire of London) were built with a hole to empty the chamber pot onto the street below. Nice. No wonder they were forbidden. One wonders what happened to Roman London, the Romans had toilets that carried the waste away, but that technology got forgotten.
August 29, 2019
Chaucer's People: Everyday Lives in Medieval England by Liza Picard is a delightful romp back to fourteenth-century England.
Taking each of Chaucer’s pilgrims as her starting point, Picard explores the lives, habits, professions, clothing, food, trade, and medicine of the medieval world. No detail is overlooked, beginning with the individual’s temperament and habits, including what these might reveal about Chaucer’s attitude toward members of the profession.
Picard situates the pilgrims in their social, cultural, and historical context by launching into an extensive exploration of the origins and the nature of their occupations. She details the clothes they wore, the fabrics, the headdresses, and the significance of various colors. Her research is impressive. For example, when discussing the cook, she describes medieval kitchens, cooking equipment, food, drinks, and spices. She even includes some medieval cooking recipes! The Doctor of Physic section includes cures for common diseases, a discussion of the plague, and a hilarious section on women’s medicine. For example, to prevent pregnancy, a woman is advised to place the testicles of a weasel in her bosom. Alternatively, to guarantee the birth of a son, the woman is to “take the womb and vagina of a hare, or its testicles, dry and pulverize them and drink the powder in wine.” Presto! A son is born. Sounds perfectly logical, doesn’t it?
Through her comprehensive research and extensive use of detail, Picard injects the pilgrims and their environs with a strong dose of energy and vitality. We half expect them to step off the page—warts and all. The fascinating tidbits about medieval life coupled with an engaging style and a delightful sense of humor make this a worthwhile read for those interested in immersing themselves in Chaucer’s England.
Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
Taking each of Chaucer’s pilgrims as her starting point, Picard explores the lives, habits, professions, clothing, food, trade, and medicine of the medieval world. No detail is overlooked, beginning with the individual’s temperament and habits, including what these might reveal about Chaucer’s attitude toward members of the profession.
Picard situates the pilgrims in their social, cultural, and historical context by launching into an extensive exploration of the origins and the nature of their occupations. She details the clothes they wore, the fabrics, the headdresses, and the significance of various colors. Her research is impressive. For example, when discussing the cook, she describes medieval kitchens, cooking equipment, food, drinks, and spices. She even includes some medieval cooking recipes! The Doctor of Physic section includes cures for common diseases, a discussion of the plague, and a hilarious section on women’s medicine. For example, to prevent pregnancy, a woman is advised to place the testicles of a weasel in her bosom. Alternatively, to guarantee the birth of a son, the woman is to “take the womb and vagina of a hare, or its testicles, dry and pulverize them and drink the powder in wine.” Presto! A son is born. Sounds perfectly logical, doesn’t it?
Through her comprehensive research and extensive use of detail, Picard injects the pilgrims and their environs with a strong dose of energy and vitality. We half expect them to step off the page—warts and all. The fascinating tidbits about medieval life coupled with an engaging style and a delightful sense of humor make this a worthwhile read for those interested in immersing themselves in Chaucer’s England.
Highly recommended.
My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com
September 26, 2020
John Dryden recognised the richness of personal detail that the characters of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales provides to a reader, declaring of the varied collection of pilgrims "here is God's plenty" and saying "we have our forefathers and great grand-dames all before us, as they were in Chaucer’s days; their general characters are still remaining in mankind" (Preface to the Fables, 1700). Picard uses that rich variety and the elements in Chaucer's portraits of his pilgrims that are accessible to us to explore the world of fourteenth century English society and the mental and physical world these people inhabited.
The result is a tour of a world that is both familiar and strange. Places and sites well-known to anyone who has at least visited England are given new historical depth and events such as the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 are given a social and economic context via the lives of the pilgrims like the Merchant or the Ploughman. More unfamiliar elements of medieval life that are remote to us now, especially the (to us) strange religious beliefs and their complex social infrastructure, are made vivid via descriptions of the Monk, the Prioress or the Pardoner.
It's the details that make this tour of medieval England come to life, with explanations of why the Yeoman's arrows were fletched with peacock feathers, or the significance of the type of bread soaked in milk the Prioress fed to her little dogs. Most of these will be familiar to those who have studied medieval history and certainly to Chaucer scholars, but Picard does an excellent job of bringing all this to an audience whose conception of the period is a murky and distorted one via inaccurate movies and common cliches.
She has clearly read widely on the period and has generally stuck to respectable interpretations on points that are not entirely certain, or at least indicated uncertainties or ambiguities when needed. One exception to this is her description of the Knight, which is, unfortunately, heavily influenced by the dubious theories of the late Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame). Jones was a trained medievalist and in 1980 he published Chaucer's Knight: The Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary. He argued that Chaucer was being typically ironic when he called the Knight "perfect and gentle [noble]" and claimed the details he gives about this figure shows his audience would have recognised him as something well-known in the fourteenth century: a bloodthirsty mercenary and not a noble Crusader.
This went against several centuries of Chaucer scholarship and while it caused a stir at the time, it has not been found to be a convincing theory by scholars; in fact, it's generally considered to be full of holes. It has long been recognised that the pilgrims fall into the medieval scheme of the "Three Estates" - the nobility, the clergy and the workers. The structure of Picard's book actually reflects this, whether she was aware of it or not. The figure of the Parson represents the ideal clergyman, while other clergy among the pilgrims fall short of that ideal to a greater or lesser degree. Similarly, the figure of the Ploughman represents the ideal worker, with the other lower class figures not quite meeting his standard. So the Knight is clearly presented as an ideal figure - one who "loved chivalrie, trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie".
Jones (and Picard) try to argue this description of the Knight is ironic, but it doesn't make much sense that there would be ideal representatives of two of the Three Estates and not one for the third. Chaucer, like all medieval writers, loved the symmetry of this kind of schematic structure, so it would be odd for him not to maintain it here. Following Jones, Picard notes that many of the crusading campaigns Chaucer lists for the Knight were sordid affairs, often unsuccessful, rather bloodthirsty and generally less than noble. But this is all from our modern perspective. One of the key problems with Jones' thesis is that it was coloured by his personal distaste for Christianity in general and for medieval Christianity in particular. He may have found these campaigns repugnant, but he failed to provide evidence Chaucer or his audience would have seen them this way.
He also tries to claim they would have indicated to Chaucer's audience that the Knight was a mercenary, but does so after detailing how common mercenaries were in the fourteenth century thanks to the Hundred Years War in France, the endless inter-city wars in Italy and the dynastic struggles in Castile and Navarre, all of which involved feared companies of swords-for-hire. What he doesn't explain is why, if this is the case, Chaucer doesn't depict his mercenary knight fighting in those places and, instead, has him off on crusades in Prussia and Algeria. Picard also follows Jones in claiming that the Knight's "gypoun" of rough fustian cloth, stained by his armour, is not the bright overgarment we would expect for a "real" knight. Both of them don't realise that a "gypoun" was a broad term which could be a rich overgarment or it could be a rough padded jacket worn under armour. This is clearly what it is here, with Chaucer specifically noting that he was still wearing this humble, stained workwear item because "he was late ycome from his viage [latest voyage], and wente for to doon his pilgrymage". The illustrator of the early Ellesmere Manuscript of the Canterbury Tales understood this, even if Jones and Picard don't - he clearly shows the Knight in an arming doublet, complete with attached laces for securing armour on top of it.
The moral here is that non-specialists like Picard need to tread carefully when choosing what scholarship to use. On the whole she chooses wisely and goes with consensus scholarly views. Her advocacy of Jones' failed theory spoils that part of her book for those who understand the material better than she does. An analysis of how Chaucer's Knight represents a lost ideal of chivalry and a contrast to the knights of Chaucer's time (including his son, the Squire) would have served Picard's purposes far better. That aside, this is a vivid and enjoyable tour through a period that is often misunderstood and rarely depicted with the richness and detail it deserves.
The result is a tour of a world that is both familiar and strange. Places and sites well-known to anyone who has at least visited England are given new historical depth and events such as the Peasant's Revolt of 1381 are given a social and economic context via the lives of the pilgrims like the Merchant or the Ploughman. More unfamiliar elements of medieval life that are remote to us now, especially the (to us) strange religious beliefs and their complex social infrastructure, are made vivid via descriptions of the Monk, the Prioress or the Pardoner.
It's the details that make this tour of medieval England come to life, with explanations of why the Yeoman's arrows were fletched with peacock feathers, or the significance of the type of bread soaked in milk the Prioress fed to her little dogs. Most of these will be familiar to those who have studied medieval history and certainly to Chaucer scholars, but Picard does an excellent job of bringing all this to an audience whose conception of the period is a murky and distorted one via inaccurate movies and common cliches.
She has clearly read widely on the period and has generally stuck to respectable interpretations on points that are not entirely certain, or at least indicated uncertainties or ambiguities when needed. One exception to this is her description of the Knight, which is, unfortunately, heavily influenced by the dubious theories of the late Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame). Jones was a trained medievalist and in 1980 he published Chaucer's Knight: The Portrait of a Medieval Mercenary. He argued that Chaucer was being typically ironic when he called the Knight "perfect and gentle [noble]" and claimed the details he gives about this figure shows his audience would have recognised him as something well-known in the fourteenth century: a bloodthirsty mercenary and not a noble Crusader.
This went against several centuries of Chaucer scholarship and while it caused a stir at the time, it has not been found to be a convincing theory by scholars; in fact, it's generally considered to be full of holes. It has long been recognised that the pilgrims fall into the medieval scheme of the "Three Estates" - the nobility, the clergy and the workers. The structure of Picard's book actually reflects this, whether she was aware of it or not. The figure of the Parson represents the ideal clergyman, while other clergy among the pilgrims fall short of that ideal to a greater or lesser degree. Similarly, the figure of the Ploughman represents the ideal worker, with the other lower class figures not quite meeting his standard. So the Knight is clearly presented as an ideal figure - one who "loved chivalrie, trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie".
Jones (and Picard) try to argue this description of the Knight is ironic, but it doesn't make much sense that there would be ideal representatives of two of the Three Estates and not one for the third. Chaucer, like all medieval writers, loved the symmetry of this kind of schematic structure, so it would be odd for him not to maintain it here. Following Jones, Picard notes that many of the crusading campaigns Chaucer lists for the Knight were sordid affairs, often unsuccessful, rather bloodthirsty and generally less than noble. But this is all from our modern perspective. One of the key problems with Jones' thesis is that it was coloured by his personal distaste for Christianity in general and for medieval Christianity in particular. He may have found these campaigns repugnant, but he failed to provide evidence Chaucer or his audience would have seen them this way.
He also tries to claim they would have indicated to Chaucer's audience that the Knight was a mercenary, but does so after detailing how common mercenaries were in the fourteenth century thanks to the Hundred Years War in France, the endless inter-city wars in Italy and the dynastic struggles in Castile and Navarre, all of which involved feared companies of swords-for-hire. What he doesn't explain is why, if this is the case, Chaucer doesn't depict his mercenary knight fighting in those places and, instead, has him off on crusades in Prussia and Algeria. Picard also follows Jones in claiming that the Knight's "gypoun" of rough fustian cloth, stained by his armour, is not the bright overgarment we would expect for a "real" knight. Both of them don't realise that a "gypoun" was a broad term which could be a rich overgarment or it could be a rough padded jacket worn under armour. This is clearly what it is here, with Chaucer specifically noting that he was still wearing this humble, stained workwear item because "he was late ycome from his viage [latest voyage], and wente for to doon his pilgrymage". The illustrator of the early Ellesmere Manuscript of the Canterbury Tales understood this, even if Jones and Picard don't - he clearly shows the Knight in an arming doublet, complete with attached laces for securing armour on top of it.
The moral here is that non-specialists like Picard need to tread carefully when choosing what scholarship to use. On the whole she chooses wisely and goes with consensus scholarly views. Her advocacy of Jones' failed theory spoils that part of her book for those who understand the material better than she does. An analysis of how Chaucer's Knight represents a lost ideal of chivalry and a contrast to the knights of Chaucer's time (including his son, the Squire) would have served Picard's purposes far better. That aside, this is a vivid and enjoyable tour through a period that is often misunderstood and rarely depicted with the richness and detail it deserves.
August 26, 2020
Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I loved it. The author takes characters from the Canterbury tales and riffs on their ‘profession’ and tidbits of related social history from the fourteenth century. It made me want to read the tales again with this as a companion.
June 23, 2022
Liza Picard dwelves into the lives of medieval English people, taking Chaucer’s characters as a starting point. Based on their professions and details that Chaucer gives on their appearance, clothing and experiences, she explains various different areas of everyday life, religious practices, law enforcement, military, medicine, etc. She presents a well researched account with lots of detail and many interesting tidbits.
I probably would have given it four stars if I have not read The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century recently. The two accounts are similar in the topics they cover, but Mortimer’s flows much better. I felt Picard was jumping around too much, often without a closing word for a topic. Since I was listening, this made it hard to tell where a new chapter begun, because I did not expect one yet. This was made worse by the narrator, who had a sing-song style ending sentences on a high note, so they sounded unfinished.
Overall, good material but perhaps not the best on audio.
I probably would have given it four stars if I have not read The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century recently. The two accounts are similar in the topics they cover, but Mortimer’s flows much better. I felt Picard was jumping around too much, often without a closing word for a topic. Since I was listening, this made it hard to tell where a new chapter begun, because I did not expect one yet. This was made worse by the narrator, who had a sing-song style ending sentences on a high note, so they sounded unfinished.
Overall, good material but perhaps not the best on audio.
February 28, 2019
Such an entertaining journey across - and through - a segment of the medieval world. From cuisine to the chevauchee, Picard brings the past to life through Chaucer's pilgrims as they preach, postulate and profane their way from London to Canterbury. Worth 5 stars for the mind-boggling recipes alone!
January 24, 2023
Interesting insight into medieval life using the characters in the Canterbury Tales as a starting point.
June 11, 2019
This is one of my favorite authors to go to for the social history of specific times in Great Britain. I loved how she used the characters of "The Canterbury Tales" to describe how life, work, and relaxation was for each social group. My only issue was that I listened to this book and there were parts that did not lend themselves to listening. Specifically, anything that had recipes in the chapter. I recommend this book especially for those who want to know more about the lives of Chaucer's pilgrims.
April 14, 2018
Picard uses the works of Chaucer to highlight the lives of medieval Londoners. This was very interesting and written in a wholly accessible style.
September 3, 2018
A look at medieval England through the medium of Chaucer's pilgrims.
We get a look at the church, marriage, pilgramage, cookery and a whole lot more. Interesting to discover that nut milk is not a 21st century invention. Medieval cooks were making nut milk in the 14th century, because cow's milk went off to easily.
Fascinating read for the history geek.
We get a look at the church, marriage, pilgramage, cookery and a whole lot more. Interesting to discover that nut milk is not a 21st century invention. Medieval cooks were making nut milk in the 14th century, because cow's milk went off to easily.
Fascinating read for the history geek.
February 7, 2020
Struggled years ago plowing through Canterbury Tales. I came upon this book, which gave insight to the characters in Chaucers book. It is a really nice overview of life in England during Chaucers time. Was just a nice book to pick up and enjoy.
March 13, 2019
Liza Picard’s Chaucer’s People is an intriguing book with a very good premise – taking at text that most people are aware of, if not familiar, and using it to explore the historical reality of that era, in this case Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and life in late 14th century England. Picard uses each character as a jumping off point for her explorations of country, city, religious and military life.
Personally, I found each chapter varied in terms of interest levels. Some were a bit of a slog, others a breeze. Picard’s information is often given in concise, bite-sized sections so I would be wary that a “full picture” is being provided. A reader wanting to find more in-depth information about a particular subject might need to look for more references.
This isn’t a standard “everyday life” reference book, but a broad overview of different aspects of medieval life. While it doesn’t have the simplicity of the structure of those kinds of books, it does give a clear picture of the ways in which society was divided and how status impacted on people’s lives. Additionally, there are things I haven’t come across in the other “everyday life” books I’ve read (I appreciated that instead of reeling off the various fruit and vegetables available, Picard listed some medieval recipes, for instance), but it does lack the simplicity of that kind of format.
The writing is clear and accessible, with Picard’s presence well-felt and sometimes humorous.
But, while this is a useful source and formatted around an intriguing premise, it does have its drawbacks. Some of the content covered by Picard feels only tangentially related – I felt that the multi-page summary of Marco Polo’s adventures and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville went too long for something only tangentially related to Chaucer’s Shipman. And, as I said, my interest levels varied considerably between chapters based on the subjects covered. At one point, I was considering giving up on the book after one very dull chapter only to find the next one just skipped by.
3 stars.
Personally, I found each chapter varied in terms of interest levels. Some were a bit of a slog, others a breeze. Picard’s information is often given in concise, bite-sized sections so I would be wary that a “full picture” is being provided. A reader wanting to find more in-depth information about a particular subject might need to look for more references.
This isn’t a standard “everyday life” reference book, but a broad overview of different aspects of medieval life. While it doesn’t have the simplicity of the structure of those kinds of books, it does give a clear picture of the ways in which society was divided and how status impacted on people’s lives. Additionally, there are things I haven’t come across in the other “everyday life” books I’ve read (I appreciated that instead of reeling off the various fruit and vegetables available, Picard listed some medieval recipes, for instance), but it does lack the simplicity of that kind of format.
The writing is clear and accessible, with Picard’s presence well-felt and sometimes humorous.
But, while this is a useful source and formatted around an intriguing premise, it does have its drawbacks. Some of the content covered by Picard feels only tangentially related – I felt that the multi-page summary of Marco Polo’s adventures and The Travels of Sir John Mandeville went too long for something only tangentially related to Chaucer’s Shipman. And, as I said, my interest levels varied considerably between chapters based on the subjects covered. At one point, I was considering giving up on the book after one very dull chapter only to find the next one just skipped by.
3 stars.
May 11, 2019
Set in the times when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales, the author uses Chaucer's pilgrims to paint a vivid picture, both of everyday life in the Middle Ages and the hidden meanings behind much of Chaucer's commentaries on the various characters. Having studied parts of the Canterbury Tales at various times in my life, I found the author's approach fascinating and totally engrossing. The book would be particularly useful reading for anyone studying the Canterbury Tales, giving as it does a different perspective on Chaucer's characters and how they fit into life in these turbulent times in the history of both England and the world - 8.5/10.
August 11, 2023
I was very excited to pick up this book at the library as it looked like an interesting and informative read. While I do not deny that there is probably much to be learned throughout the book, it was not what I had expected and been looking for and I ended up putting it down after the first section. Picard’s writing style felt very crass and condescending to me, although I haven’t seen anyone else give this complaint so it could just be me. It just gave off a feeling/narrative of “look at these weird people and their nonsensical beliefs, we’re so much better and more advanced than them” which I did not enjoy. The passage that got me to stop reading was this: “An energetic pilgrim visiting all the named churches could clock up about 132,000 years; and there was no reason why he or she should not do the rounds again, for another 132,000 years, which should surely be enough. (The inconsistency of lessening an infinite number by a finite number never seems to have troubled the medieval pilgrim).” These are their religious beliefs and pilgrimage was something that brought many of these people spiritual fulfillment. I’ve certainly seen money wasted on worse things, do we really need to ridicule them for it? I was under the impression that this would be from the perspective of the common medieval men and women but based on this and a few other examples it does not appear to be. There were also a few Captain obvious lines that felt stupid such as, “Dung was a vital element of medieval agriculture”. No dip Sherlock, how’d you figure that one out? News flash, it’s still a vital part of agriculture. I need only to walk outside on the right day to smell the fresh manure laid down on the wheat fields down the street.
On another note, I was having some trouble verify the historical authority of the author. All her bio says is that she has a Law degree and lives in London so as far as I can tell she has no background in historical study or literary studies. I’m not denying that the book is accurate at all, I just want to know why it is accurate and that it is a reputable source.
People are people no matter what, and in many ways I think the medieval people have shown themselves to be extremely smart and adaptable in many different ways and were if anything much more resourceful than us today. Yes there may have been terribly inaccurate medical and scientific theories circulating at this time (one that comes to mind is a medieval doctor who theorized that puss was actually a sign of healing and therefore began to slather his patients’ wounds in raw meat) however there were also many developments that proved to be accurate and invaluable. These were the people who developed the first colleges and universities, advanced implementations of war, who survived and documented perhaps the greatest plague known to man. Whether or not this tone was the intent of the author or whether it persists through it the book I do not know, but as for me I was not willing to invest more time into a a belittling historical narrative.
On another note, I was having some trouble verify the historical authority of the author. All her bio says is that she has a Law degree and lives in London so as far as I can tell she has no background in historical study or literary studies. I’m not denying that the book is accurate at all, I just want to know why it is accurate and that it is a reputable source.
People are people no matter what, and in many ways I think the medieval people have shown themselves to be extremely smart and adaptable in many different ways and were if anything much more resourceful than us today. Yes there may have been terribly inaccurate medical and scientific theories circulating at this time (one that comes to mind is a medieval doctor who theorized that puss was actually a sign of healing and therefore began to slather his patients’ wounds in raw meat) however there were also many developments that proved to be accurate and invaluable. These were the people who developed the first colleges and universities, advanced implementations of war, who survived and documented perhaps the greatest plague known to man. Whether or not this tone was the intent of the author or whether it persists through it the book I do not know, but as for me I was not willing to invest more time into a a belittling historical narrative.
April 8, 2019
If anyone knows how to breathe life into the past, to imbue the people, landscape, cities, trades and the nobility who rule over all of them with colour, drama and adventure, it’s Liza Picard. Her latest book, Chaucer’s People is no exception as she takes as her frame narrative the characters Geoffrey Chaucer introduces in his Canterbury Tales and frees them from the confines of his wondrous prose to teach us about the Middle Ages.
Rather than explicating the uncompleted poem with its pilgrims and the tales they tell to help the trip from Tabard Inn Southwark to Canterbury Cathedral pass more pleasantly, Picard examines not just the individuals as Chaucer describes them, but the trades and roles of each of the pilgrims, setting them in a broader social and historical context.
The book is divided into expansive parts, such as Country Life, City Life, The Armed Services etc. before chapters are given to the well-known pilgrims. Yet, this book isn’t about analysing the characters as Chaucer defines them or their tales reveal. Starting with Chaucer’s physical and sometimes psychological descriptions, she then delves into the characteristics of the pilgrims’ roles, trades or professions; how and where they fit into the broader medieval landscape and beyond. So, for example, she deals with the religious figures by outlining just how their various orders were established, when and where, the specific role say a friar, prioress, abbot or parson might play (eg she unpacks the Pardoner as someone who travelled to Rome to purchase indulgences for sins from the Pope then returned to England to sell them at an elevated cost (along with fake holy relics), thus profiting from people’s desire to seek penance for their spiritual offences. Picard makes it clear – as does Chaucer – that Pardoners and their motivation as well as public perception were becoming increasingly questioned). From lawyers, to merchants, clerks, yeomen, squires and, of course, the Wife of Bath, each is taken out of the tale and placed in history. For example, the Shipman, to which the final chapter is dedicated, is located within not just the actual maritime wars and adventures of the period, but within the broader discourse of travel writing which was growing in popularity at this time and of which medieval audiences would have been aware. Thus we’re given a potted history of Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville, their writings, their reception and the fantastical sites they claim to have seen and of which, according to Picard, any shipman worth his salt would have been aware.
Just like the Tales upon which this draws, this is a colourful, fascinating and ofttimes very funny book that casts an intellectual's eye over medieval times in order to bring them into sharp focus. I found this book difficult to put down. If only all history was written in such a lively and irresistible fashion! For lovers of history and well written books, I can highly recommend a journey with Picard and her version of Chaucer’s pilgrims.
Rather than explicating the uncompleted poem with its pilgrims and the tales they tell to help the trip from Tabard Inn Southwark to Canterbury Cathedral pass more pleasantly, Picard examines not just the individuals as Chaucer describes them, but the trades and roles of each of the pilgrims, setting them in a broader social and historical context.
The book is divided into expansive parts, such as Country Life, City Life, The Armed Services etc. before chapters are given to the well-known pilgrims. Yet, this book isn’t about analysing the characters as Chaucer defines them or their tales reveal. Starting with Chaucer’s physical and sometimes psychological descriptions, she then delves into the characteristics of the pilgrims’ roles, trades or professions; how and where they fit into the broader medieval landscape and beyond. So, for example, she deals with the religious figures by outlining just how their various orders were established, when and where, the specific role say a friar, prioress, abbot or parson might play (eg she unpacks the Pardoner as someone who travelled to Rome to purchase indulgences for sins from the Pope then returned to England to sell them at an elevated cost (along with fake holy relics), thus profiting from people’s desire to seek penance for their spiritual offences. Picard makes it clear – as does Chaucer – that Pardoners and their motivation as well as public perception were becoming increasingly questioned). From lawyers, to merchants, clerks, yeomen, squires and, of course, the Wife of Bath, each is taken out of the tale and placed in history. For example, the Shipman, to which the final chapter is dedicated, is located within not just the actual maritime wars and adventures of the period, but within the broader discourse of travel writing which was growing in popularity at this time and of which medieval audiences would have been aware. Thus we’re given a potted history of Marco Polo and Sir John Mandeville, their writings, their reception and the fantastical sites they claim to have seen and of which, according to Picard, any shipman worth his salt would have been aware.
Just like the Tales upon which this draws, this is a colourful, fascinating and ofttimes very funny book that casts an intellectual's eye over medieval times in order to bring them into sharp focus. I found this book difficult to put down. If only all history was written in such a lively and irresistible fashion! For lovers of history and well written books, I can highly recommend a journey with Picard and her version of Chaucer’s pilgrims.
August 2, 2019
Each year I teach selections from Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales." I find the tales entertaining as well as revealing. I enjoy challenging my students to try and connect these medieval archetypes and their stories with our current world. In most cases, the truth then is still the truth now. It's not always an easy lesson for my high school students to understand. Then automatically assume that something that old can't be relevant today. This usually leads to the idea of good literature and how the "truth" in good literature is relevant (to vary degrees, albeit) across eras.
This book takes the fictional characters in "Caterbury Tales" and dives into the historical contexts around each one. That's what first caught my eye. I hadn't stopped to consider the "Why" to Chaucer's decision to describe certain characters one way, or to consider some of the random (in my opinion) details about the character's personality and clothing. Ms. Picard delves into these details and logics what Chaucer may be telling us about the medieval world.
My favorite part of this read is Ms. Picard's sense of humor. There's a lot of medievalists who take themselves VERY seriously. Ms. Picard isn't one of those. There's a lot of side comments and alleviate some of the tedious and bawdy aspects of medieval life and added to the reading experience. If you've ever encountered the "Canterbury Tales" I highly recommend you give this a read.
This book takes the fictional characters in "Caterbury Tales" and dives into the historical contexts around each one. That's what first caught my eye. I hadn't stopped to consider the "Why" to Chaucer's decision to describe certain characters one way, or to consider some of the random (in my opinion) details about the character's personality and clothing. Ms. Picard delves into these details and logics what Chaucer may be telling us about the medieval world.
My favorite part of this read is Ms. Picard's sense of humor. There's a lot of medievalists who take themselves VERY seriously. Ms. Picard isn't one of those. There's a lot of side comments and alleviate some of the tedious and bawdy aspects of medieval life and added to the reading experience. If you've ever encountered the "Canterbury Tales" I highly recommend you give this a read.
May 19, 2019
Not much new here, and plenty of this can be found in other books about the time period, including using Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales as the framing device.
Still, it was presented well, sourced/footnoted appropriately, and made for an entertaining and worthwhile book.
My only quibble is that it was definitely written at layman level ... but are there all that many people who’d be in that group now and still have read/cared about Chaucer?
Still, it was presented well, sourced/footnoted appropriately, and made for an entertaining and worthwhile book.
My only quibble is that it was definitely written at layman level ... but are there all that many people who’d be in that group now and still have read/cared about Chaucer?
May 11, 2023
‘A medieval physician needed the patient’s astronomical details, just as a modern GP would check his or her blood pressure’
lol what‘s that? you’re a Gemini? incurable soz I’m afraid ur terminal
lol what‘s that? you’re a Gemini? incurable soz I’m afraid ur terminal
May 26, 2019
I didn't realize before I started reading how much his was about the actual Canterbury Tales. If I had, I doubt I would have picked it up. I didn't read the Canterbury Tales in school because my high school teacher hated them. I did slog through them a few years ago, and I'm thankful we didn't have to read them in high school. I'm sure that in a college class with a good professor and time to really study them, the tales would be at least partly interesting and worth my time. Reading them on my own, though, was a chore. It would have been a little more interesting and possibly easier with this book to help guide me.
That being said, this is still a pretty good social history of the Middle Ages, it just uses the characters and stories of the tales to frame the book and guide the topics. It was a smidge more about the tales I cared for, but I learned some new things. It is also pretty readable.
That being said, this is still a pretty good social history of the Middle Ages, it just uses the characters and stories of the tales to frame the book and guide the topics. It was a smidge more about the tales I cared for, but I learned some new things. It is also pretty readable.
October 23, 2021
Fantastic book. A perfect companion to Canterbury Tales, or to any lover of historic domestic life in Europe or in general. If you loved (or loathed) Chaucer's pilgrims, this book gives elaborate depth to these characters, providing further empathy, sympathy, or downright distaste toward these character archetypes.
Also, do indeed try the meal recipes provided. But for gadzooks, do NOT attempt the medical recipes.
Also, do indeed try the meal recipes provided. But for gadzooks, do NOT attempt the medical recipes.
June 8, 2019
An interesting read, but not a very exciting one. A great idea for a look at 14th century England - to do it through the various people in Canterbury Tales. However, it did seem rather disjointed, skipping around a lot. Unavoidable I suppose. I did like how she used the characters from Tales as a 'type' and then added real documents from history to add to the details.
April 19, 2024
This was a really fun way of looking into the way people lived in the 14th century. It's seriously packed with a lot of detail, so I'm going to eventually have to go through it again, but it's definitely worth it!
January 30, 2025
I must admit, I didn't really know what the hell Chaucer's Canterbury Tales was even about. And until I started reading so much about the English middle ages recently, I barely knew anything about the author besides his name (i.e., I probably could have said "Who is Chaucer?" on Jeopardy if the clue mentioned the title of the book). But thanks to this book, I know a bit more.
This started out as a bit of a slog for me. Anything quoting Chaucer's original is very difficult to decipher, even with Picard's parentheticals about what word then means what now. But, in short, it goes through each of the various pilgrims he wrote about who are making their way to Canterbury Cathedral.
However, the subtitle of the book gives you a better idea of what it's really about: the lives of ordinary folks in the 14th century. It was a pretty grim time to be a non-magnate. Everything smelled bad, you were freezing all the time, The Man told you how fancy your clothes could be, and the authorities would kill you if you said anything bad about the King or God, or even read the Bible in English (fucking Lollards).
Picard seems quintesentially British in her asides about the characters -- clever and funny. She points out all the oddities of 14th century life, and goes into great detail about their diets, attire, homes, pets, and lifestyles. About 30% of the detail was too much for me -- and I almost gave it up. But I ended up finishing the second half of the book in a day, and I'm glad I did it.
In addition, it's a very good history of the 14th century, from the Black Death of the middle century, to the Peasant's Revolt in 1381. Chaucer lived and wrote during this time, and though I can't tell you exactly who he was married to or came from, his family is in most of the extended family trees you see at the beginnings of books about this time. Tangentially, the book also delves into histories you wouldn't think it would, like Marco Polo, due to its discussion of the greater pilgrimages that folks back then took to the actual Holy Land. There are a ton of interesting nuggets within that you could mention at parties (among the right crowd) -- if you retained any knowledge from what you read (alas, I have neither those types of friends nor that type of memory).
I would not recommend this book to just anyone - but if you've read Canterbury Tales (I haven't) or have any interest in daily life in 14th Century England, it might be worth picking up.
This started out as a bit of a slog for me. Anything quoting Chaucer's original is very difficult to decipher, even with Picard's parentheticals about what word then means what now. But, in short, it goes through each of the various pilgrims he wrote about who are making their way to Canterbury Cathedral.
However, the subtitle of the book gives you a better idea of what it's really about: the lives of ordinary folks in the 14th century. It was a pretty grim time to be a non-magnate. Everything smelled bad, you were freezing all the time, The Man told you how fancy your clothes could be, and the authorities would kill you if you said anything bad about the King or God, or even read the Bible in English (fucking Lollards).
Picard seems quintesentially British in her asides about the characters -- clever and funny. She points out all the oddities of 14th century life, and goes into great detail about their diets, attire, homes, pets, and lifestyles. About 30% of the detail was too much for me -- and I almost gave it up. But I ended up finishing the second half of the book in a day, and I'm glad I did it.
In addition, it's a very good history of the 14th century, from the Black Death of the middle century, to the Peasant's Revolt in 1381. Chaucer lived and wrote during this time, and though I can't tell you exactly who he was married to or came from, his family is in most of the extended family trees you see at the beginnings of books about this time. Tangentially, the book also delves into histories you wouldn't think it would, like Marco Polo, due to its discussion of the greater pilgrimages that folks back then took to the actual Holy Land. There are a ton of interesting nuggets within that you could mention at parties (among the right crowd) -- if you retained any knowledge from what you read (alas, I have neither those types of friends nor that type of memory).
I would not recommend this book to just anyone - but if you've read Canterbury Tales (I haven't) or have any interest in daily life in 14th Century England, it might be worth picking up.
August 25, 2021
In 14th century England, people rarely left their homes. Life was a good deal smaller then; life started and ended often within a 30 mile radius of birth. Life spans were short, often less than 30 years. If people traveled, they did so on foot, generally calibrating days to be about 30 miles of walking. And where did they go? People did not take vacations and did not go on long shopping trips. When they journeyed, they would go en masse to shrines to worship. Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales tells a story of one such pilgrimage, from Southwark, a village south of London, to Canterbury to worship at the shrine of Thomas a Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury who had been murdered by direction of King Henry II. The Canterbury Tales involves the travel of 32 pilgrims from the Tabard Inn, owned by Harry Bailey in Southwark, to Canterbury. The idea behind the story is that each pilgrim tell a tale, and the story adjudged to be the best by the rest of the pilgrims would win dinner at the inn upon return from Canterbury. The magic of these tales is that they are told by everyday, common folk. Chaucer gives the reader to see vividly how real people spoke and acted in the England of 700 years ago. I would personally recommend that everyone read these tales, or at least a construction of the tales that is understandable to the modern speaker of English.
Before reading Chaucer's tales, however, I would recommend consulting Liza Picard's Chaucer's People. This marvelous book explains, in detail, who the pilgrims were, what they did for a living, and why they went on the trip. The Canterbury Tales are fun and enlightening; Chaucer's People makes the tales much more understandable.
Before reading Chaucer's tales, however, I would recommend consulting Liza Picard's Chaucer's People. This marvelous book explains, in detail, who the pilgrims were, what they did for a living, and why they went on the trip. The Canterbury Tales are fun and enlightening; Chaucer's People makes the tales much more understandable.
August 3, 2021
Liza Picard is one of my favorite historians. She tends to focus on daily life in various eras, so when I found out that a) she had a new book and b) it told daily life in the late 1300s through the lives of the characters in The Canterbury Tales right when I was about to read it, I took it as a Sign. And I loved this book. Not gonna lie.
Picard takes the characters one by one and describes various pieces of life through that character. For example, the Pardoner's chapter talks about pardons, indulgences, and relics, while the Knight's chapter talks about the campaigns he was on, life as a knight, and the feudal order that made knights possible to begin with. She further sorts the characters into four big groups: city life, country life, religious life, and military life. It's great, comprehensive and fun. It does come across a bit fragmented at times, due to the way Picard sets up the book, but it's a daily-life history; you're better off having a vague idea of the outline of political and religious events before you start, though Picard does give you a quick rundown of important ones in the Wife of Bath's chapter.
It's a really fun book, and I would recommend doing what I did, reading the two books alongside one another. You get a lot more out of the Tales, and Chaucer's People is only made more fun.
Picard takes the characters one by one and describes various pieces of life through that character. For example, the Pardoner's chapter talks about pardons, indulgences, and relics, while the Knight's chapter talks about the campaigns he was on, life as a knight, and the feudal order that made knights possible to begin with. She further sorts the characters into four big groups: city life, country life, religious life, and military life. It's great, comprehensive and fun. It does come across a bit fragmented at times, due to the way Picard sets up the book, but it's a daily-life history; you're better off having a vague idea of the outline of political and religious events before you start, though Picard does give you a quick rundown of important ones in the Wife of Bath's chapter.
It's a really fun book, and I would recommend doing what I did, reading the two books alongside one another. You get a lot more out of the Tales, and Chaucer's People is only made more fun.
March 21, 2019
This sounded like it would be an interesting book (received as an eARC from Edelweiss) and it is. What was life like in the fourteenth century? Using the people of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales as her guide Liza Picard writes a very readable history book. This time in England was quite turbulent as the King carried on an endless war with France and society changed because so much of the population died from what became known as the Black Plague ('The Great Pestilence' as it was known at that time). Even though people were born into a certain station in life, the events of the day allowed some movement. As with our time there were laws passed to control people and things (such as the laws as to what kind of dress was allowed) and people managed to circumvent or ignore them. This is not an extremely long book but it manages to take those interested in how people lived in another time come alive.
April 25, 2019
If you've been watching Game of Thrones, you may like this book to provide or check for authenticity for the clothing, jousting, food, laws, customs, etc depicted in the series. (I only watched a couple shows from season 1, so can very guardedly say the show was more authentic than I expected).
Author Picard takes each of the now famous members of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales characters and expands and contrasts them to what we know about actual people's lives back then.
Picard does an excellent job of providing us with references and letting us know when the historical accounts may not correlate with what we do know about those times and peoples.
And it's easy enough to jump around and read only the particular accounts/characters where you may have a particular interest, eg food, law, jousting, knights, or religion,
Author Picard takes each of the now famous members of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales characters and expands and contrasts them to what we know about actual people's lives back then.
Picard does an excellent job of providing us with references and letting us know when the historical accounts may not correlate with what we do know about those times and peoples.
And it's easy enough to jump around and read only the particular accounts/characters where you may have a particular interest, eg food, law, jousting, knights, or religion,
July 25, 2023
Non-fiction read written by one of the best authors when it comes to "the life of actual people" and how they lived. I'll miss Picard's writings as she passed away in 2022. This book delves into the lives of Geoffrey Chaucer's time.....what they wore, what they ate (several recipes included), how they fought, how they traveled and the laws they had to abide by. In order to take a pilgrimage a special license had to be obtained from the Crown, for a fee of course. Plus women had to carry their husband's formal consent. Way stations were along the way so they could stop and rest mainly run by religious groups. In 1462 there would have been 39 different currencies involved between England and the Holy Land. One really surprising fact to me...they drank almond milk!
January 9, 2019
The Lives of people in 14th century England illustrated via Chaucer's motley band of pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales. They range from priests and a knight to 'yeomen' and a sailor, as well as several women.
The book is a lively and informative introduction to the period, and contains a few interesting surprises. Medieval people it seems, did not actually eat that much mutton. Sheep were kept for their wool, not meat. Since English wool was considered the best in the world, that made them a valuable commodity.
Beef and bacon were probably more commonly eaten foods: as well as fish and birds. Of almost all varieties including swans. Which would not please my mother who loves them.
The book is a lively and informative introduction to the period, and contains a few interesting surprises. Medieval people it seems, did not actually eat that much mutton. Sheep were kept for their wool, not meat. Since English wool was considered the best in the world, that made them a valuable commodity.
Beef and bacon were probably more commonly eaten foods: as well as fish and birds. Of almost all varieties including swans. Which would not please my mother who loves them.
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