The Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chauncer wrote the Canterbury Tales in the end of the 14th century. These are tales of pilgrims heading for Southwark in London to Canterbury Cathedral to Thomas Beckett's shrine (he was murdered there) for a contest. The prize was to win a free meal on their return. These tales are not suitable for children as they have some nuaghty bits in them or you should read them first. They give us and idea of the how people lived at this time. Chaucer is very critical of the people in his story and it is very evident in his writing. The tales are written in poems and one is in response to another so best to read them in order as if the characters are talking

Not only do they tell us about the people but the time it was written in. England was going through the 100 Years War when Richard II was killed.

If you read the ones written in Modern English, they are easy to read and reflect on the inference. I quite enjoyed these tales so take a look at the link above and see what you think.

All the Best!

American to Britain