The Canterbury Tales: The First FragmentThe most complete of all remaining surviving fragments sections of The Canterbury Tales, the First Fragment contains some of Chaucer's most widely enjoyed work. In The General Prologue, Chaucer introduces his pilgrims through a set of speaking portraits, drawn with a clarity that makes no attempt to conceal their peculiarities. The four tales that follow - those of the Knight, Miller, Reeve and Cook - reveal a wide variety of human preoccupations: whether chivalrous, romantic or simply sexual. Brilliantly bawdy and subtly complex, each of these tales is alive with Chaucer's skills as a poet, storyteller and creator of comedy. |
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Absolon adoun agayn Allas anon Arcite Atthenes aventure berd biforn bigan Boccaccio Boethius Canterbury Canterbury Tales carpenter Chaucer clerk compaignye deeth doon dooth doun Emelye eyen felawe gentil Geoffrey Chaucer Goddes goon gooth greet grete gyse hath heed heere heigh herte highte hire hond Hoost hymself knew Knight Knight's Tale kyng leet litel lord Mars Miller's Tale millere moore moost moot myghte namoore Nicholas noght noon nyght oother Palamon pilgrims prisoun Prologue pryvetee queynte quod REEVE'S TALE saugh seyde seye seyn shal sholde soore sorwe speke sterte swich Symkyn Tabard tale Thanne Thebes thee ther therfore therto Theseus thilke thise thou thow thurgh thyn thyng toun trewe Troilus and Criseyde tyme unto Venus weel Wel koude weren whan wight withouten wolde wood mad woot knows wyde yeve