Satire on Sir Walter Scott and Chaucer

Satire is a keen literary tool, one that Geoffrey Chaucer used liberally when he wrote his Canterbury Tales as well as Sir Walter Scott’s Ivanhoe. Webster’s New World Dictionary says that satire is "the use of ridicule, sarcasm, etc. to attack vices, follies, etc." These two pieces of literature could be considered the greatest pieces of British Literature during the Middle Ages. They both exercise Satire, Ideals, Prejudices, and Stereotypes, which are used …

…one of the most important ideals during the Middle Ages was chivalry. This flaw was often found in some characters. Those with the flaws were used as examples of satire and were not left short of being highly critiqued. They were used as subjects of enjoyment for reading because reading the imperfections of the past is enjoyed by many. These two exemplified a time in history where honest people where cherished and others were hated.