Project #1: Geoffrey Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales

We start our discussion with Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. Good translations (Penguin's translation by Nevill Coghill is my favorite) make this a very enjoyable read and good place to start. Our plan is to read over the next three months (April, May and June) and discuss different aspects we come across along the way.

General Outline

Generally, Chaucer allows his readers to observe the pilgrimage of 29 random persons from Southwark, a suburb of London, to Canterbury. Along the way, the group tells stories to pass the time. The prologue at the beginning is long, but gives important information about each of the travelers. It might be helpful to read (or reread) sections of the prologue about specific characters before reading that character's story.

Questions to Explore

What are the literary pleasures of the passage?
Which character do you enjoy the most?
Which story do you enjoy the most?


Happy Reading!