"[Chaucer] is not only the father of all our poets, but the grandfather of all our hundred million novelists." -G.K. Chesterton

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"Spring has arrived, prompting folks from all stations of medieval life to pilgrimage together to the shrine of Thomas Becket. Because long trips tend to be rather dull, the travelers begin a storytelling competition featuring roosters, murders, bewitched hags, banished wives in barrels, plenty of adulterers, a whole host of churchmen, and a frying pan whisked to hell." ~From Elizabeth Howard's Introduction

In the middle ages, hundreds of pilgrims would flock to the shrine of Thomas Beckett to pay their respects and get a few years off of purgatory—or perhaps to simply enjoy themselves. The poet Geoffrey Chaucer writes about both the pious and the irreverent and roguish. His company of priests, tradesmen, nuns, monks, scholars, and knights that tell stories on the way to Canterbury is full of drama, farce, shrewd cynicism, and that highly inappropriate sense of humor for which the English are so well known.

This Canon Classic contains all twenty-four extant Canterbury Tales carefully and modernized by J.U. Nicolson. The Canon Classics series presents the most definitive works of Western literature in a colorful, well-crafted, and affordable way. Unlike many other thrift editions, our classics feature individualized designs that prioritize readability by means of proper margins, leading, characters per line, font, trim size, etc. Each book’s materials and layout combine to make the classics a simple and striking addition to classrooms and homes, ideal for introducing the best of literary culture and human experience to the next generation.

This Worldview Edition features an introduction divided into sections on The World Around, About the Author, What Other Notables Said, Setting, Characters, & Plot Summary, Worldview Analysis, and 21 Discussion Questions & Answers.