Canterbury Tales Reprint

6e Geoffrey Chaucer. Modern Reprint.

Notes

Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, written in Middle English during the late 14th century, stands as a towering masterpiece of Western literature that brilliantly captures the sprawling social hierarchy and moral complexity of medieval England. The overarching narrative centers on a diverse group of twenty-nine pilgrims who gather at the Tabard Inn in Southwark before embarking on a journey to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. To pass the time, the innkeeper proposes a storytelling contest, prompting a dynamic, cross-sectional exchange of tales told by characters ranging from the noble Knight and the corrupt Pardoner to the famously fiercely independent Wife of Bath. By employing a groundbreaking frame narrative that encompasses a vast array of genres—including courtly romance, fabliaux, and moral sermons—Chaucer rejected the traditional elite use of Latin or French to elevate the vernacular English language. His vivid, often satirical character sketches provide an unvarnished psychological look into medieval society, permanently altering the trajectory of English letters and establishing the poetic and narrative structures that would define modern storytelling.

Description

Modern reprint hardcover.