A Guide To The Canterbury Tales: Why Were They Banned? | Literary Classics

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's magnum opus.

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[jamesrogers]

I was on holiday in Ireland a few years ago. I stayed at a B&B. I shared a breakfast table with an Italian couple. The young woman said she was studying middle English literature. I myself enjoy all that sort of thing and had recently learnt the first 18 lines of the CT in its original form - which I then presumed to recite to her. It was such a strange moment. I looked at her then. Her eyes were full of tears. She explained: To come to the British Isles and to hear a random English person so utterly unexpectedly do that! She was very emotional - and I felt the same way! Our partners I think were bemused and gently indulgent…

[nbenefiel]

My dad read me Canterbury Tales when I was a kid. His Middle English was great.

[fabiodeoliveiraribeiro]

Geoffrey Chaucer wrote his tales in English in the late 14th century. Dante Alighieri wrote the Divine Comedy in Italian in the early 14th century. Both disconnected from the cultured tradition, which during the Middle Ages required the use of Latin. One helped shape the modern Italian language. The other did the same for the English language. But Dante's theme is largely religious. Chaucer departed somewhat from this tradition as some of the tales deal with more mundane themes. In this he was extremely modern for his time. In a way he revived a feature of Roman literature long before the Renaissance. This is often underestimated.

[gerryhouska]

At first sight the text looks very difficult, however, once you get into it, not trying to pronounce as it would've been, it is surprisingly easy (and glorious) to read.

[snufkinhollow]

I have a rescue cat called Weaver who was badly injured in an accident before he came to me. So now, like Chaucer's weaver, he doesn't have a tail!😸

[TIMTalksCooking]

I enjoyed this but wonder why, given the video's title, the issue of the book's banning is never so much as mentioned.

[seekwisdom]

Thanks to you & utube for this video which came up randomly.
Im going to dig out my original penguin classic paperback from my A level English Lit 1966 & enjoy the Canterbury Tales all over again. I learnt & recited whole chunks to my little sister then. I'll give her a surprise next time we meet . ❤

[alisonclarke]

What a wonderful eye-opener. Many thanks to the guest speakers.

[rjlchristie]

No mention of parallels to Boccaccio's The Decameron is an oversight.

[emitch]

Thank you. I have learned much into the gaps, I was lost to education's limits. Fascinating and generous lessons into Chaucer' CT.

[debbralehrman]

Thank you for sharing this. I have always wondered about the Canterberry Tales. I of course heard of them never read or watched someone do a reading. This was very intriguing. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🌹

[jimmmmy]

I read Anya Seaton's historical novel, Katherine, about the relationship between John of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford. Chaucer, of course, played a large role in their lives, as he was married to Swynford's sister, Philippa. I always think of him as a character in a story.

[MagdaleneDivine]

Well I'm going to read these today on my tablet. I'm trying to find uses for tablets and reading seems to be the best use of them.

[rjlchristie]

A Knyght, a miller and a reeve walk into a bar....
- quiet Geoffrey, you've told that one before.

[okaytoletgo]

Thank you all for this work; generous of you. Someone can suggest a site where there is a good text with the difficult Middle English words linked to their modern usage? Thanks. Good wishes to you all.

[TheLeonhamm]

Technically, the Prioress is at the top of these pilgrims' social standing; she would be expected to field men - knights, clerics, scholars, yeomen, peasants, and labourers (and the funds to keep them) - for an Abbess or Abbott, her liege lord, whose liege service was in turn to the king - direct. Chaucer, as a civil servant to the royal household, would have had rather more contact with - and to hold in common with - the Prioress's society than the Reeve's, or even a nun's priest or physician, et al. Clearly, women of the time were not heroines in a Jane Austen or Charles Dickens tale ..
;o)

[marichristian]

Read the Miller's tale for a quick answer to the question.

[kevindouglas]

Really the only one I'm a little bit familiar with is the miller's tale. I think going to explore these

[yotubr]

All ages are an age of transition 1300 or otherwise.

[khakimzhanmiras]

my greatest regret in life is that I did my bachelors in marketing and finance, rather than pursuing english literature studies, particularly Chaucer.