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. This version of the text has been translated into modern English by Nevill Coghill.
March 2011 Guest Editor Terry Jones explains why he has chosen this book:
"Of course, I couldn’t leave Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales off my list. This book has probably had more direct effect on my life than any other. It has sent me all over the world talking about the Middle Ages. To begin with I just wanted to write an article about the Knight in the General Prologue – and I spent days when we were doing the Python TV shows, moon-lighting in the British Library trying to find out more about late fourteenth century militarism. This in turn lead me into reading more generally about the Medieval World and sparked a quasi-academic career for me that has run alongside my other stuff."
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.
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in London in about 1342. He was valued highly by Edward III, who paid part of his ransom when he was captured fighting in France in 1360. He rose in royal employment, becoming a Justice of the Peace and was buried in 1400 in Westminster Abbey.
