قصة الكتاب :
The Cantebury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. There are 24 tales in all and they are mostly written in the form of verses. They are presented as narrations by pilgrims taking part in a story-telling contest as they travel together from London to Cantebury to visit the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Cantebury Cathedral. The winner of the contest was to win a free meal from Tabard Inn at Southwark. The tales gained huge popularity in their time possibly due to the language in which they were written i.e. Middle English, which developed after the Norman invasion, following which those in power spoke French. At a time when Latin was the common literary language, Chaucer’s achievement of publishing his work in English and making his mark are noteworthy. \r\n
\r\nWhen Chaucer wrote these stories, Cantebury had a mixed reputation. In the century following the murder of Thomas Becket, the place had been turned into a sort of theme park. Huge prices were extracted from the pilgrims who visited the shrines. Pilgrimages ended up being drunken affairs that had very little in common with what it was originally intended to be. In telling these tales in the voices of the different characters, Chaucer allows the reader to get a glimpse into the minds and moralities that existed. There are a few virtuous characters that appear, like the knight. But apart from that, it is clear from these tales that although the pilgrims were taking part in a spiritual exercise, their minds were occupied with worldly matters.
\r\nGoing by the General Prologue, each of the pilgrims were to tell two tales on their way to Cantebury and two tales on their way back. The collection that is available with us indicates that Chaucer never really managed to complete his planned project. The printing press had not yet been invented in his time and so the tales have been passed down in the form of several hand-written manuscripts. By using this clever structure of story-telling, Chaucer manages to introduce us to a motley of characters from different walks of life, thereby offering us a glimpse of the society that existed in his time. The different stories narrated by each of these characters also allowed Chaucer to employ different genres within the same framework, which makes his collection as textured as a medieval tapestry. The order of the stories varies in each of the compiled manuscripts but the Hengwrt manuscript is most valued for its accuracy. The Cantebury Tales have been repeatedly published after Chaucer’s death and are a testament to the fact that the characters and stories he created have had enduring appeal across the centuries.
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\r\nTHE CANTERBURY TALES
And other Poems
of
GEOFFREY CHAUCER
Edited for Popular Perusal
by
D. Laing Purves
CONTENTS
PREFACE
LIFE OF CHAUCER THE CANTERBURY TALES
The General Prologue The Knight\'s Tale The Miller\'s tale The Reeve\'s Tale The Cook\'s Tale The Man of Law\'s Tale The Wife of Bath\'s Tale The Friar\'s Tale The Sompnour\'s Tale The Clerk\'s Tale The Merchant\'s Tale The Squire\'s Tale The Franklin\'s Tale The Doctor\'s Tale The Pardoner\'s Tale The Shipman\'s Tale The Prioress\'s Tale Chaucer\'s Tale of Sir Thopas Chaucer\'s Tale of Meliboeus The Monk\'s Tale The Nun\'s Priest\'s Tale The Second Nun\'s Tale The Canon\'s Yeoman\'s Tale The Manciple\'s Tale The Parson\'s Tale Preces de Chauceres THE COURT OF LOVE <1>
THE CUCKOO AND THE NIGHTINGALE <1>
THE ASSEMBLY OF FOWLS
THE FLOWER AND THE LEAF <1>
THE HOUSE OF FAME TROILUS AND CRESSIDA CHAUCER\'S DREAM <1>
THE PROLOGUE TO THE LEGEND OF GOOD WOMEN CHAUCER\'S A.B.C.
MISCELLANEOUS POEMS