what is funny about the summoner's tale
I read this in the 8th grade, and I didn't think it was funny. Now that I can understand it, it is "humorous" in a very crude way. Of course, one could say that of the Comedy Channel also.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summoner%27s_Tale
The key to the "humor" is in satire. The Summoners Tale is a reply to the Friar's Tale. Both are corrupt and both are accusing one another of corruption. There is a lot of satire in Chaucer's Tales.
The Summoner's Tale is a satirical and humorous story within Geoffrey Chaucer's famous work, "The Canterbury Tales." In this tale, Chaucer presents a comic portrayal of a corrupt summoner, who is responsible for summoning individuals to appear in ecclesiastical court for committing various sins and crimes. Here are some funny aspects of the Summoner's Tale:
1. Ecclesiastical Corruption: The Summoner's Tale highlights the vices and corrupt practices within the church during Chaucer's time. The summoner in the story is depicted as being ignorant, gluttonous, and more interested in satisfying his own desires rather than upholding moral standards. This humorous portrayal provokes laughter as it pokes fun at those in power who abuse their positions.
2. Scatological Humor: The tale includes some gross and crude humor, such as a detailed description of flatulence. This use of scatological humor, while considered vulgar to some, was a common comedic technique in Chaucer's era and can be amusing to readers who enjoy this type of humor.
3. Absurdity: The Summoner's Tale contains several absurd and farcical elements. For example, the main character, the summoner, is threatened by a devil who promises to snatch his soul. However, the summoner tricks the devil into snatching a different person's soul instead. This twist of events is unexpected and creates hilarity through its implausibility.
Overall, what some find funny about the Summoner's Tale is the combination of satire, social commentary, exaggerated characters, and crude humor. It is important to note that humor is subjective, and what one person finds amusing, another might not find as funny. Nevertheless, Chaucer's ability to highlight the flaws and laugh at the absurdities of human behavior makes the Summoner's Tale a memorable and comical part of "The Canterbury Tales."