Geoffrey Chaucer

In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer created one of the great touchstones of English literature, a masterly collection of chivalric romances, moral allegories and low farce. A story-telling competition between a group of pilgrims from all walks of life is the occasion for a series of tales that range from the Knight’s account of courtly love and the ebullient Wife of Bath’s Arthurian legend, to the ribald anecdotes of the Miller and the Cook. Rich and diverse, The Canterbury Tales offer us an unrivalled glimpse into the life and mind of medieval England.

The Canterbury Tales

Only read the Miller’s tale, Reeve’s Tale and wife of bath, but it was pretty good

Ester Waclavova

This is the wrong edition but I can't find the correct one so IGNORE THAT ... this shit was so confusing ... why did I have to read it in Middle English when I am NOT TRYING TO BECOME A MEDIEVALIST??? Wife of Bath is my girl tho...

Laura Mauler

I'd say it's more like 3.5 stars, but we round up in my family.

Some great stuff and some duds, and that's perfectly fine. When I was really in the mood for this book, even a dud story didn't bother me because the feeling of the rhymes carried me along; it was almost like listening to music in a foreign language, pleasant for the sounds if not the content. The great stuff was a treat no matter my mood, and at times I actually gasped aloud in shock and delight at the raunchiness.

Joe Ross

Some bwere better than others. The wonder is in the set-up, the stories-within-stories. Good OLD frickin' genius

Vanya de Lang 

This was a read for university and we only did one story, but I really enjoyed it. The middle English is challenging to read but the outcome is amazing. The storytelling from that era was absolutely fantastic. I really enjoyed it.

Canterbury tales

Donald

The middle English is gorgeous. Don't read translations!

Bryanna M

I didn't hate it as much as Beowulf or Sir Gawaine...

Jill Mann

(original-spelling edition) (Penguin Classics)

Jenna Kathleen

My favourite book of all time. Now to save money for The Riverside Chaucer...

Cameron Austin

I also read this for my English class. Although I didn't read every tale, the ones I read were actually pretty good. Some of the tales I could see the ending coming, ie The Pardoner's Tale. It's still one of my favorite though, including the tale the Wife of Bath told.

'Nevill Coghill's easy, seductive translation ensures that this, the most popular work in English Literature - now 600 years old - will run through yet more centuries' Melvyn Bragg In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer created one of the great touchstones of English literature. A storytelling competition within a group of pilgrims from all walks of life is the occasion for a series of tales that range from the Knight's account of courtly love and the ebullient Wife of Bath's Arthurian legend to the ribald anecdotes of the Miller and the Cook. This masterly and vivid modern English verse translation retains all the vigour and poetry of Chaucer's fourteenth-century Middle English. Translated by NEVILL COGHILL

The Canterbury Tales

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