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The Canterbury Tales is a book of stories set in the Middle Ages. This is the main point a person reading Geoffrey Chaucer s masterpiece must remember. The reason it is easy to forget is that many of the stories the pilgrims told on their way to Canterbury could be just as easily told today and not miss a beat. Chaucer brought together a diverse and interesting group for the Canterbury Tales, and this kind of diversity is just as evident in today s world as it was in Chaucer s. I believe the Canterbury Tales is an excellent book and I think to review the book as a whole is difficult, because each story elicits a different reaction. Therefore, I believe the best way to review Chaucer s Canterbury Tales is to give a brief review of each pilgrim s tale.
This way the readers of this article can truly decide if this book is worth their time. The Knight s Tale- One must remember that the Knight is an honorable and great man. This is the same kind of knight that Sir Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table bring timing. So it makes sense that the Knight would tell a tale of captured soldiers that fall in love with a beautiful maiden and have an honorable battle for her hand. The Knight s Tale conjures images of jousting tournaments and medieval fairs.
The tale itself is a very good story, but maybe a little outdated for the modern-day reader. The Miller s Tale- The Miller s story is one that truly fits the mold of what a episode of South Park would probably look like if it was made in the Middle Ages. The story itself, which includes flatulence and adultery, is a humorous little tale, but don t look for much literary excellence. The Reeve s Tale- The Reeve s tale is a rebuttal to the Miller s tale, because the Miller stale makes a carpenter look foolish. The fool in the Reeve s story is a foolish Miller who is tricked by two students.
The students repay the Miller s thievery by sleeping with both his wieland his daughter. This is another tale that was probably bold and shocking in Chaucer s time, buti's just another funny little story in the late twentieth century. The Cook s Tale- This story seems to be incomplete. It appears to be another tale offend behavior like the Miller s and Reeve s tales. Since it is incomplete, there is no way to review it.
The Man Of Law s Tale- The Man of Law tells a story of a beautiful woman who goes through great tragedy and difficulties, and comes through it all with great poise and dignity ass converts hundreds of people to Christianity. This story is a happy story because in the end evil is punished and love triumphs, but a happy story does not necessarily make a good story. The Shipman s Tale- The Shipman s story talks of a monk that borrows money from merchant, pays the money to the merchant s wife for sex, and then tells the merchant he already paid the money back. It is another story that has a humorous side to it. However, there appears tobe an error in the beginning of the tale. The shipman says The poor husband must always pay; he must clothe us and he must dress us richly for the sake of his own honor, and in this finery we dance merrily. 1 This tale must have been meant to be assigned to one of the women of the Canterbury Tales, because why would a shipman say these things.
This oversight, however, doesnt take away from a fine story. The Prioress Tale- This is a story praising Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary. It shows a hatred for the Jews that Christians have exhibited since the death of Christ. The story is very good though and reminds the reader a lot of Poe s The Tell Tale Heart.
Chaucer s Tale- Chaucer begins by telling a tale of a knight named Sir Topas, and theta was complete with a quest and a three-headed giant, but it is in rhyme. The host tells Chaucer to tell a different story, without the rhymes. It tells of a man s daughter being beaten and her father and mother forgiving her attackers. This story might be one of the worst of the Canterbury Tales, so one has to wonder why Chaucer would assign this story, along with the equally ridiculous tale of Sir Topas, to himself. The Monk s Tale- The Monk tells the stories of everyone from Adam to Lucifer to Hercules to Julius Caesar. All are tales of men who had great power and lost it.
You know these stories before you read the Monk s tale, and that is how you know they are good. No review should be necessary because this tale is one that has been heard in segments several times by most people in the world. But just in case you need one, these are timeless stories that has a good moral. No matter how big and powerful you are, there is always someone or thing that can take you down.
The Nun s Priest s Tale- This is another tale that seems to be spun from a Chinese tale. It also is a tale that I had heard before I ever read the Canterbury Tales. Another tale with ago moral, but it seems like a child s tale and does not keep the attention like some of the other tales. The Wife Of Bath s Tale- The Wife of Bath spends more time telling of how she has gained mastery of her husband than she does telling her actual tale. She then tells the age old tales looking past a person s outside appearance and looking at their inner beauty. In her early ramblings she basically trashes marriage and celibacy.
The Wife of Bath actually makes some very good points in her tale and her story of her own life, and it makes her part in the Canterbury Tales a good read. The Friar s Tale- The Friar s story does nothing more than insults the Summoner, widgets his revenge in the next tale. The summoner in the Friar s tale is a corrupt and greedy man. This story is enjoyable, but is obviously outdated as I have never heard of a summoner, and could not imagine one in today s society. The Summoner s Tale- The Summoner follows the pattern set earlier by the Miller andthe Reeve, meaning he retaliates against the Friar s anti-summoner story by telling an anti-friar story.
The Summoner s tale is full of irony, as the friar in the tale preaches against gluttony anchor fasting, but orders a huge meal from the wife of Thomas, who he also appears to be having affair with. This story again has an episode with flatulence, which appears to be the ultimate insult in Chaucer s time. Another funny story with little or no literary value. The Merchant s Tale- The Merchant tells a tale of an older man being cheated on by his younger wife. He even names the older man January and the young bride May. It is somewhat comic, but the story also has a moral: Don t bite off more than you can chew.
The Squire s Tale- This tale is also unfinished, because the Franklin interrupts the Squire. The part of the story we do hear seems Chinese because of the talking animal, in this case a hawk. This story cannot be reviewed because it is unfinished. The Franklin s Tale- I think this is the best of the stories told in the Canterbury Tales. It is extremely noble and all characters in this tale are honest and good. It might not totally be true to life, but it is true to the life most people want.
The Physician s Tale- The Franklin s noble tale is followed up by the Physician s tale ofa corrupt judge trying to steal a knight s daughter. This is a great story and has an excellent moral. The Pardoner s Tale- This is a tale that seems like one of the old Chinese proverbs, almost like the teachings of Confucius. Three men go in search of death and find it in a funny and unusual way. This was an easy story to read, and it was an easy story to enjoy.
The Second Nun s Tale- This is another tale in which Christian values are praised as virginity, baptism, and willing to die for Christ are the main themes of the tale. This story sticks your mind after you read it because of the many execution attempts Cecilia, the heroine, survives. This is an odd story, but another one that is worth reading. The Canon s Yeoman s Tale- This tale is ridiculously outdated, as it deals with the lost science of alchemy. Most people in this day and time would not even know what alchemy was orphan such a word even existed. The story tells of a priest s greed, but is not even close to the best story of greed Chaucer put in this collection.
The Manciple s Tale- The Manciple tells a story like that of the American Indians that tells how the crow became black and lost its ability to sing and speak. This is an interesting story because it was written well before the discovery of the New World, but has a certain Native American feel to it. The Parson s Tale- The parson preaches against the seven deadly sins, and does so inthe most long-winded fashion that would make any old, deep south, Baptist preacher proud. Button summarized version in the copy I read showed that the parson told no story at all, but just preached. Unless the reader wants a sermon, they would do good to overlook this tale. Chaucer then has a retraction, in which he states he had no evil intention in writing the Canterbury Tales.
As I said earlier, as a whole, I enjoyed reading this book. I found the format tobe that of reading a diverse book of short stories, some funny, some serious, some epic, awesome bad. In all, I recommend the Canterbury Tales to anyone that wants to get a good idea online in England in the Middle Ages. 1. Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales.
New York: (Pocket Publishing: 1948).
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