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The Canterbury Tales | Essays and Criticism

• The Canterbury Tales: A Critical Analysis

  In the following essay, Roger Moore discusses the extraordinary diversity of The Canterbury Tales, arguing that although many critics think the text should be approached as a collection of distinct pieces, there are certain unifying components.

• Comedic Inventiveness in The Canterbury Tales

  In the following essay, David Kelly compares Chaucer’s constant inventiveness to techniques used throughout the centuries by jesters and stand-up comics to hold their audiences’ attention.

• Madame Eglentyne, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the Problem of Medieval Anti-Semitism

  In the following essay, Philip S. Alexander examines the treatment of Jews and anti-Semitism in the “Prioress’s Tale.”

• Language Redeemed: “The Pardoner’s Tale”

  In the following essay excerpt, David Williams explores how the Pardoner poses a threat to the other authors and to Chaucer himself in Canterbury Tales.

• Language Redeemed: “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”

  In the following essay excerpt, David Williams examines how the Wife of Bath wields her own version of experience and authority in telling her tale.

• Perception and Reality in the “Miller's Tale”

  In the following essay, Patrick J. Gallacher applies Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s ideas on perception to “the much-discussed portrait of Alison and to the perceptual responses of John, Absolon, and Nicholas” in “The Miller’s Tale.”

• Chaucerian Themes and Style in the “Franklin’s Tale”

  In the following essay, Jill Mann explains how understanding “The Franklin’s Tale” and its theme of patience can lead to a greater understanding of the Canterbury Tales as a whole.

• Sense and Sensibility in “The Prioress’s Tale”

  In the following essay, Carolyn P. Collette contends that the Prioress exhibits a “sensibility that dwells on the small, the particular . . . as a means of arousing deep emotional response.”

• The Struggle between Noble Designs and Chaos: The Literary Tradition of Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale

  In the following essay, Robert W. Hanning compares “The Knight’s Tale” with epics by Boccaccio and Statius to gain a greater understanding of the themes of nobility and order in the poem.

• The Wife of Bath and the Dream of Innocence

  In the following essay, Britton J. Harwood defends his assertion that “Chaucer was creating a human being” when constructing the character of the Wife of Bath.

• Chaucer’s General Prologue as History and Literature

  In the following essay, R. T. Lenaghan examines the “General Prologue” as a historical document, asserting that it offers “a richer sense of a civil servant’s values than the usual documents afford.”

• The Play of the “Miller's Tale”: A Game within a Game

  In the following essay, Beryl B. Rowland explores connections to the Mystery plays in “The Miller’s Tale.”

• Criticism and the Old Man in Chaucer’s “Pardoner’s Tale”

  In the following essay, Alfred David examines various interpretations of the old man in “The Pardoner’s Tale.”

• The Knight: The First Mover in Chaucer’s Human Comedy

  In the following essay, Richard Neuse explores the characters of the Knight and Theseus, and calls the “Knight’s Tale” a “testimony to the insufficiency of human wisdom at the same time that it transcends it.”

• Chaucer as Satirist in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

  In the following essay, Rosemary Woolf comments on Chaucer’s satire in the “General Prologue.”

• Commentary: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

  In the following essay excerpt, E. Talbot Donaldson examines the role of rhetoric in “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale.”

• The Nun’s Priest in The Canterbury Tales

  In the following essay, R. M. Lumiansky contends that “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale” reveals the Nun’s Priest to be “frail, timid, and humble.”

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1. The Canterbury Tales: Introduction
2. The Canterbury Tales: Summary
3. The Canterbury Tales: Overview
4. The Canterbury Tales: Geoffrey Chaucer Biography
5. The Canterbury Tales: Summary and Analysis
   1. 1: General Prologue Summary and Analysis
   2. 2: The Knight's Tale Summary and Analysis
   3. 3: The Miller's Tale Summary and Analysis
   4. 4: The Reeve's Tale Summary and Analysis
   5. 5: The Cook's Tale Summary and Analysis
   6. 6: The Man of Law's Tale Summary and Analysis
   7. 7: The Shipman's Tale Summary and Analysis
   8. 8: The Prioress's Tale Summary and Analysis.
   9. 9: The Tale of Sir Thopas Summary and Analysis
   10. 10: The Monk's Tale Summary and Analysis
   11. 11: The Nun's Priest's Tale Summary and Analysis
   12. 12: The Wife of Bath's Tale Summary and Analysis
   13. 13: The Friar's Tale Summary and Analysis
   14. 14: The Summoner's Tale Summary and Analysis
   15. 15: The Cleric's Tale Summary and Analysis
   16. 16: The Merchant's Tale Summary and Analysis
   17. 17: The Squire's Tale Summary and Analysis
   18. 18: The Franklin's Tale Summary and Analysis
   19. 19: The Physician's Tale Summary and Analysis
   20. 20: The Pardoner's Tale Summary and Analysis
   21. 21: The Second Nun's Tale Summary and Analysis
   22. 22: The Canon's Yeoman's Tale Summary and Analysis
   23. 23: The Manciple's Tale Summary and Analysis
   24. 24: The Parson's Tale Summary and Analysis
   25. 25: Chaucer's Retraction Summary and Analysis
6. The Canterbury Tales: Quizzes
   1. 1: General Prologue Questions and Answers
   2. 2: The Knight's Tale Questions and Answers
   3. 3: The Miller's Tale Questions and Answers
   4. 4: The Reeve's Tale Questions and Answers
   5. 6: The Man of Law's Tale Questions and Answers
   6. 7: The Shipman's Tale Questions and Answers
   7. 8: The Prioress's Tale Questions and Answers
   8. 9: The Tale of Sir Thopas Questions and Answers
   9. 10: The Monk's Tale Questions and Answers
   10. 11: The Nun's Priest's Tale Questions and Answers
   11. 12: The Wife of Bath's Tale Questions and Answers
   12. 13: The Friar's Tale Questions and Answers
   13. 14: The Summoner's Tale Questions and Answers
   14. 15: The Cleric's Tale Questions and Answers
   15. 16: The Merchant's Tale Questions and Answers
   16. 17: The Squire's Tale Questions and Answers
   17. 18: The Franklin's Tale Questions and Answers
   18. 19: The Physician's Tale Questions and Answers
   19. 20: The Pardoner's Tale Questions and Answers
   20. 21: The Second Nun's Tale Questions and Answers
   21. 22: The Canon's Yeoman's Tale Questions and Answers
   22. 23: The Manciple's Tale Questions and Answers
   23. 24: The Parson's Tale Questions and Answers
7. The Canterbury Tales: Essential Passages
   1. Essential Passages by Character: The Wife of Bath
   2. Essential Passages by Theme: Corruption of the Church
8. The Canterbury Tales: Themes
9. The Canterbury Tales: Style
10. The Canterbury Tales: Historical Context
11. The Canterbury Tales: Critical Overview
12. The Canterbury Tales: Essays and Criticism
    1. The Canterbury Tales: A Critical Analysis
    2. Comedic Inventiveness in The Canterbury Tales
    3. Madame Eglentyne, Geoffrey Chaucer, and the Problem of Medieval Anti-Semitism
    4. Language Redeemed: “The Pardoner’s Tale”
    5. Language Redeemed: “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”
    6. Perception and Reality in the “Miller's Tale”
    7. Chaucerian Themes and Style in the “Franklin’s Tale”
    8. Sense and Sensibility in “The Prioress’s Tale”
    9. The Struggle between Noble Designs and Chaos: The Literary Tradition of Chaucer’s Knight’s Tale
    10. The Wife of Bath and the Dream of Innocence
    11. Chaucer’s General Prologue as History and Literature
    12. The Play of the “Miller's Tale”: A Game within a Game
    13. Criticism and the Old Man in Chaucer’s “Pardoner’s Tale”
    14. The Knight: The First Mover in Chaucer’s Human Comedy
    15. Chaucer as Satirist in the General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales
    16. Commentary: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
    17. The Nun’s Priest in The Canterbury Tales
13. The Canterbury Tales: Suggested Essay Topics
14. The Canterbury Tales: Sample Essay Outlines
15. The Canterbury Tales: Quotes and Passages
16. The Canterbury Tales: Compare and Contrast
17. The Canterbury Tales: Topics for Further Study
18. The Canterbury Tales: Media Adaptations
19. The Canterbury Tales: What Do I Read Next?
20. The Canterbury Tales: Bibliography and Further Reading
21. The Canterbury Tales: Pictures
22. Copyright

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