The Canterbury Tales
A collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century. The tales (mostly in verse, although some are in prose) are told as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. In a long list of works, including Troilus and Criseyde, House of Fame, and Parliament of Fowls, The Canterbury Tales was Chaucer's magnum opus. He uses the tales and the descriptions of the characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. Structurally, the collection bears the influence of The Decameron, which Chaucer is said to have come across during his first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372. However, Chaucer peoples his tales with 'sondry folk' rather than Boccaccio's fleeing nobles.
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What you might want to know about The Canterbury Tales
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
A pack of late-fourteenth-century pilgrims meet at the Tabard Inn outside London on the way to Thomas Becket's shrine in Canterbury. The host proposes a storytelling contest, and the Knight, the Wife of Bath, the Miller, and others take turns.
Yes. The Canterbury Tales was written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the late 14th century and is in the public domain. Modern translations remain copyrighted.
Yes, in the original Middle English. Most readers use a modern English translation. Nevill Coghill's prose translation and Peter Ackroyd's modern retelling are widely recommended for general readers.
The Canterbury Tales was written by Geoffrey Chaucer, published in 1400 by Penguin Group UK.
The Canterbury Tales is 88 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, The Canterbury Tales takes most readers 1 to 2 hours to finish.
The Canterbury Tales is a standalone novel by Geoffrey Chaucer, not part of a series.
The Canterbury Tales is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.