The Canterbury Tales
A collection of tales told by pilgrims on a journey.
They are presented as part of a fictional storytelling contest held by a group of pilgrims traveling from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The work is widely regarded as Chaucer's magnum opus and is revered as one of the paramount works of English literature.
- author
- Geoffrey Chaucer
- language
- Middle English (London dialect)
- genre
- Anthology of short stories in verse
- known_for
- Popularizing English vernacular in mainstream English literature
Lore & Background
The Canterbury Tales were mostly written in verse, and most scholars think the Tales were incomplete at the end of Chaucer's life. The General Prologue introduces some 30 pilgrims, and Chaucer's intention was to write four stories from the perspective of each pilgrim, two each on the way to and from Saint Thomas Becket's shrine, making for a total of about 120 stories. There is no consensus as to whether a complete version exists, nor regarding Chaucer's intended order of the stories. Textual and manuscript clues support two popular modern methods of ordering the tales, and some scholarly editions divide the Tales into ten 'Fragments.'
Reader's Guide
The Canterbury Tales had a major effect upon the development of English literature itself. They may have been responsible for the popularisation of the English vernacular in mainstream English literature, as opposed to French or Latin. There are 84 manuscripts and four incunabula editions of the work, more than for any other vernacular English literary text except the Prick of Conscience. The copyist of these manuscripts has been identified as a scrivener named Adam Pinkhurst, though this identification is controversial. The work's structure—a collection of tales within the framework of pilgrims on a pilgrimage—was original, though Chaucer borrowed portions from earlier stories, including parallels to Boccaccio's Decameron.
Did You Know?
- The Canterbury Tales contains 84 surviving manuscripts and four incunabula editions, more than any other vernacular English literary text except Prick of Conscience.
- No manuscript of the Tales survives in Chaucer's own hand.
- A quarter of the tales in The Canterbury Tales parallel a tale in Boccaccio's Decameron.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Canterbury Tales about?
It is a frame narrative in which a group of pilgrims heading to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral take turns telling stories to pass the time on their road trip from London. Geoffrey Chaucer composed it as a collection of verse tales rather than a single continuous plot.
Who wrote The Canterbury Tales and in what language?
Geoffrey Chaucer composed the work in the late 14th century, and it is generally considered his masterwork. He wrote it in the London dialect of Middle English, a choice that helped establish the English vernacular as a viable medium for serious literature.
Why is The Canterbury Tales considered important in English literature?
It is widely regarded as one of the foundational texts of English-language literature because it demonstrated that the English vernacular could carry the same literary weight as Latin or French. Its vivid, socially diverse cast of characters and its use of multiple narrative voices set a template for later English storytelling.
Is The Canterbury Tales a complete work?
No — Chaucer's original plan called for each pilgrim to tell two tales outbound and two on the return, but the surviving manuscript contains only a fraction of that intended structure. The text ends abruptly with the Monk's Tale, and scholars have long debated what the missing portions would have included.
What genre or literary form is The Canterbury Tales?
It is best described as an anthology of short stories written in verse, framed by a shared journey narrative. The individual tales span a wide range of genres, including fabliaux, legends, romances, and moral tales, all linked by the common setting of the pilgrimage.
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