Title: The Canterbury Tales
Description: 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.
Subjects: Death, English Narrative poetry, Juvenile poetry, Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages in literature, great_books_of_the_western_world, Fiction, Pilgrims and pilgrimages in literature, Storytelling in fiction, Textual Criticism, Storytelling in literature, English literature, Criticism and interpretation, Facsimiles, Water, Treasure troves, English Manuscripts, English poetry, Manuscripts, Middle Ages, Medieval Civilization, Children's stories, English, Grammar, Mathematical models, Bibliothèque nationale de France, English language, Poetry, Canterbury, Children's stories, Short stories, Pollution, England, Storytelling, Aeration, Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages in fiction, Medieval Manuscripts, History and criticism, Medieval Tales, Early works to 1800, Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages, Manuscripts, English (Middle), Translations into Arabic, open_syllabus_project, Modernized versions, Children's fiction, Great britain, history, norman period, 1066-1154, fiction, British and irish fiction (fictional works by one author), Chaucer, geoffrey, -1400, English poetry, history and criticism, middle english, 1100-1500, Poetry (poetic works by one author), Prologues and epilogues, Pilgrims and pilgrimages, Chaucer, geoffrey, -1400, study and teaching, Christian poetry, Great britain, poetry, Tales, medieval, Middle English, Adaptations, Juvenile fiction, England, fiction, Middle ages, fiction, Drama (dramatic works by one author), Large type books, Appreciation and interpretation, School textbooks, Collections, Canterbury tales (Chaucer, Geoffrey), Moyen Âge, Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse, Histoires pour enfants anglaises, Chaucer, geoffrey , -1400, Christian pilgrims and pilgrimages--poetry, Storytelling--poetry, Pr1867 .k65 2005, 821/.1, Commentaries, Talmud, English literature, history and criticism, middle english, 1100-1500, Classic Literature, Kristna pilgrimer och pilgrimsfärder, Skönlitteratur, Fiction, short stories (single author), New York Times reviewed, Musée du Louvre, Biography, Freemasons, Diseases, Causes and theories of causation, Hygiene, Jews, Antisemitism, Antisémitisme, Juifs, Freemasonry, Philosophy
Places: Canterbury, Canterbury (England), England, California, San Marino
People: Carleton Brown (1869-1941), Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?-1400), Geoffrey Chaucer (d. 1400), Walter W. Skeat (1835-1912)
Time periods: 14th century, Middle English, 1100-1500