The Canterbury TalesAbout this book: Geoffey Chaucer (c.1340-1400) was one of the finest storytellers in the English language, as well as being a great poet and an accomplished prose writer. The Canterbury Tales, although incomplete at the time of Chaucer's death, is generally regarded as his greatest work. The Canterbury Tales tells the story of 30 pilgrims who meet by chance at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, London and journey together to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury cathedral. To pass the time along the way, they tell stories to one another. The Tales themselves range from the exemplary saints' lives told by the nuns, to the bawdy, comic tales of the miller and the reeve, always shot through with Chaucer's cunning wit and dry humour. Chaucer leaves his readers with the impression that the whole of medieval society has passed before their eyes. This new transcription and edition is taken from British Library MS Harley 7334, a beautifully decorated, volume produced within ten years of Chaucer's death. The aim of the present edition, with its 'on-page' notes and glosses, is to enable readers with little or no previous experience of medieval English to read and enjoy this landmark in Eng |
Contents
THE GENERAL PROLOGUE | 3 |
THE KNIGHTS TALE | 35 |
THE MILLERS TALE | 103 |
THE REEVES TALE | 129 |
THE COOKS TALE | 147 |
THE WIFE OF BATHS TALE | 195 |
THE FRIARS TALE AND THE SUMMONERS TALE | 235 |
THE CLERKS TALE | 271 |
THE SECOND NUNS TALE | 401 |
THE CANONS YEOMANS TALE | 421 |
THE PHYSICIANS TALE | 451 |
THE SHIPMANS TALE | 487 |
THE PRIORESSS TALE | 503 |
THE MONKS TALE | 565 |
THE NUNS PRIESTS TALE | 597 |
THE MANCIPLES TALE | 621 |
THE MERCHANTS TALE | 311 |
THE SQUIRES TALE | 349 |
THE FRANKLINS PROLOGUE AND TALE | 371 |
THE PARSONS TALE and CHAUCERS RETRACTION | 637 |
Common terms and phrases
agayn Allas anoon answerde atte biforn bounte Canterbury Tales certes certeyn Chaucer chirche cleped cometh counseil couthe dede deere deth doon doth doughter doun drede dryve entent fader felaw frendes fuyr fynde goon goth gret grete hath heere herd herte heven hire holy hond hous housbond Jhesu Crist kepe knight Knight's Tale kyng lenger litel lord lyve maner moche natheles never noon nought oonly oughne peyne pray prest quod sche resoun saith Seint saugh sayde sayn schal schewe schulde seith seyde Sire sith slayn somtyme sone sorwe soth spak speke suffre synne tale thanne thay ther therfore Theseus thilke thing thou schalt thre thurgh toun trewe trouthe tyme understonde unto verray watir werkes whan wher wight withouten wolde womman woot word ye ben ye schul