Historians on Chaucer The 'General Prologue' to the Canterbury Tales

While literary scholars have insisted on the need to understand works of medieval literature in their historical context, medieval historians themselves have rarely contributed to modern attempts to show how works of imaginative literature engaged with the conflicts and controversies of their own day. This volume brings together 25 experts in the history of fourteenth-century England and asks them to discuss one of the most famous works of Middle Englishliterature- -Geoffrey Chaucer's 'General Prologue' to the Canterbury Tales--in relation to the economic change, social issues, and religious controversies of the period. Beginning with a survey of recentdebates about the social meaning of Chaucer's work, the volume then discusses each of the Canterbury pilgrims in turn. The book should be of interest to all scholars and students of medieval culture whether they are specialists in literature or history.