The Canterbury Tales (Prologue & Three Tales)

Sample: Text

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer is a foundational work in English poetry which every student should read. Our Student and Teacher Guides will increase the student’s vocabulary and reading comprehension.

About the text:

“Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales—witty, bawdy, zany, satirical, and literary. From the late medieval period on, Chaucer has been considered the “father or English poetry.” Indeed, his Middle English verse electrified the day with its satire of English society. Writing in the later 14th century, he caused ripples with his bold move to write in the vernacular English instead of the expected literary Latin. With prophetic wisdom, he sensed the potential of English to absorb elements from many languages, making it the literary language of the future—opening the way for Shakespeare.

Michael Murphy’s deft Reader-Friendly Edition presents Chaucer’s original words put into modern spelling, thereby preserving the literal Chaucerian Middle English without the unnecessary obstacle of fourteenth century spelling. Enjoy these surprising tales told by a group of quirky medieval English pilgrims in a storytelling contest on their journey to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. This volume includes Chaucer’s General Prologue, The Pardoner’s Tale, The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, and the Franklin’s Tale.”