Ranked #2 in Medieval, Ranked #38 in GRE — see more rankings.
The procession that crosses Chaucer's pages is as full of life and as richly textured as a medieval tapestry. The Knight, the Miller, the Friar, the Squire, the Prioress, the Wife of Bath, and others who make up the cast of characters -- including Chaucer himself -- are real people, with human emotions and weaknesses. When it is remembered that Chaucer wrote in English at a time when Latin was the standard literary language across western Europe, the magnitude of his achievement is even more remarkable. But Chaucer's genius needs no historical introduction; it bursts forth from every page...
moreReviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Canterbury Tales from the world's leading experts.
Marion Turner Each individual tale can be interpreted in so many ways—Chaucer really opens up possibilities of multiple interpretations. Even when he seems to give you a clear moral, that moral is never effective or convincing. He’s always saying: ‘Find your own moral; find your own meaning.’ (Source)
Rankings by Category
The Canterbury Tales is ranked in the following categories:
- #88 in Adultery
- #42 in Annotations
- #63 in Class
- #98 in Classical
- #56 in English Writer
- #91 in Epic
- #40 in GRE Prep
- #89 in Gilmore Girls
- #84 in High School Reading
- #60 in Penguin Classics
- #61 in Poetry
- #96 in Public Domain
- #91 in Storytelling
- #66 in University