geoffrey chaucer and the canterbury tales

During their ten-day stay, each of the ten tells a story. In the Decameron, set in a villa outside Florence, ten people come together to avoid the plague ravaging Florence. (Chaucer the pilgrim tells one story, “Sir Thopas,” that is so bad, the host breaks in and demands he try again, and he complies with the tedious “Tale of Melibee.”)Ĭhaucer was inspired by Boccaccio, whose collection of tales, the Decameron, Chaucer had read – Chaucer had served in the king’s diplomatic corps and could read and speak several languages. As it is, we only have one story from most of the pilgrims, and two from Chaucer himself. Of course, there may have been fewer stories or more intended, as some pilgrims may have dropped out before the return journey to London, while others may have joined the group (one such add-on is the Canon’s Yeoman who tells a story of alchemy after he joins the pilgrims a few days into the journey). This would have resulted in a book of at least 120 tales, and a work over 1,000 pages in length. Their host, Harry Bailey, who serves as the emcee on the journey, suggests a bet – each of the pilgrims will tell two tales on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back, to be followed by a vote for best tale, the teller of which will win him/herself a dinner back at the Tabard Inn. And as far as literature goes, it remains my favorite mistake.Ĭhaucer’s elaborate plan was for each of his 30 pilgrims (29 pilgrims plus Chaucer himself) to tell a total of four tales each. Chaucer finished no more than a quarter of his proposed project. The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer’s most famous work, and yet it is incomplete.

Geoffrey chaucer and the canterbury tales