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Geoffrey Chaucer

A research guide on Geoffrey Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales.

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The Canterbury Tales

15th century Ellesmer manuscript of “The Canterbury Tales”

Picture retrieved from: http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/33/129333-004-B6EB0B96.jpg. 

The Canterbury Tales revolve around a diverse group of pilgrims on a journey to the Canterbury Cathedral.  On the way, the travelers decide to hold a storytelling contest to pass the time. What ensues is a mixture of comedic, tragic and heroic tales in an effort to out-do each other. Though The Canterbury Tales consists of a number of tales on a variety of topics two of the most read tales include The Knight's Tale and the Wife of Bath's Tale. Read about the collection on the Encyclopedia Britannica page at the link below. For more information on individual tales click on the tale title below. More tale summaries can be found in the Encyclopedia Britannica. 

Common Themes and Search Terms

Canterbury Tales

England

Fabliau

Farce

Griselda

Middle English

Pilgrimage

Religion

Romance

Sentence and Solas

Social Class

Thomas Becket

 

Helpful Research Guides

Introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer

Welcome to the LibGuide for Chaucer and his most noted work, The Canterbury Tales. Here you will find a variety of resources to help you in your research. 


Portriat of Geoffrey Chaucer (Brittanica)

Picture from http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/23/150323-004-E7E63645.jpg

Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most noted English writers of the Middle Ages. His collection of tales titled "The Canterbury Tales" is a very important and widely read piece of English literature in both high school and college classes. For more information about Chaucer you can read his biography at the link below. 

Works by Chaucer

Critical Analysis and Supplement Materials

Websites

Databases

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