What is an effect of Chaucer's decision to use a pilgrimage as the central premise for The Canterbury Tales?
It sets up an expectation that exempla, which were common in didactic medieval literature, will be part of the story.
It allows Chaucer to write his poem in English because he is capturing the speech of English commoners.
It provides Chaucer with an opportunity to write about characters that represent a wide range of social classes.
It makes the messages of the pilgrims more persuasive because a reader in Chaucer’s time would have respected them for their fervent religious beliefs.

Question

What is an effect of Chaucer's decision to use a pilgrimage as the central premise for The Canterbury Tales?
It sets up an expectation that exempla, which were common in didactic medieval literature, will be part of the story.
It allows Chaucer to write his poem in English because he is capturing the speech of English commoners.
It provides Chaucer with an opportunity to write about characters that represent a wide range of social classes.
It makes the messages of the pilgrims more persuasive because a reader in Chaucer’s time would have respected them for their fervent religious beliefs.

anonymous · Answer

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/canterbury/section1.rhtml In sparknotes, it says that "The travelers were a diverse group". I believe because of this, Chaucer's main purpose was to have a diverse group of characters in the story plot. It also mentions in sparknotes that "His intention to describe each pilgrim as he or she seemed to him is also important, for it emphasizes that his descriptions are not only subject to his memory but are also shaped by his individual perceptions and opinions regarding each of the characters." I believe that the answer is: C. It provides Chaucer with an opportunity to write about characters that represent a wide range of social classes.