The Canterbury Tales is Geoffrey Chaucer’s collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury. Written in Middle English during the late fourteenth century, the work offers a vivid insight into the society, culture and beliefs of England during the Hundred Years War.
Chaucer brings together characters from different levels of medieval society, whose stories range from romance and comedy to morality and tragedy. The work was left unfinished, and its surviving tales and prologues vary considerably in length and style.
The individual sections of The Canterbury Tales are listed below. Where available, each link leads to the full text of that tale, prologue or epilogue.
The Canterbury Tales
The General Prologue
Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
The Knight, Miller, Reeve and Cook
The Man of Law
Introduction to the Lawyer’s Prologue
The Shipman, Prioress, Sir Thopas, Melibee and Monk
The Nun’s Priest
The Prologue to the Nun’s Priest’s Tale
Epilogue to the Nun’s Priest’s Tale
The Prologue to the Pardoner’s Tale
The Wife of Bath
Chaucer’s Wife of Bath, including brief notes
The Friar, Summoner, Clerk and Merchant
Epilogue To The Merchant’s Tale
The Squire and Franklin
The Words Of The Franklin And The Host
The Second Nun and Canon’s Yeoman
The Manciple and Parson
Chaucer’s Leave-Taking
The Maker Of This Book Takes His Leave