illustration of a clergyman with Canterbury cathedral behind him

The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey Chaucer

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Student Question

How can one modernize the pilgrimage in "The Canterbury Tales"?

Quick answer:

The Chaucerian pilgrims are not the same as a modern-day pilgrims. You would need to write a new work, or at least adapt the Chaucerian work so that it was no longer an allegory of the Catholic Church.

Expert Answers

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While the question is a little unclear (are you writing a tale about the Canterbury Tales, or are you writing a modern piece like the Canterbury Tales?), you might want to find a modern-day "pilgrimage" to a holy place, and people it with modern characters that parallel the characters in Chaucer's piece. How about a Greyhound bus to Las Vegas (modern church) filled with gamblers hoping for the a blessing of good luck. After explaining the situation in a "Prologue," you might try to find modern equivalents of the Miller, the wife of Bath, the Summoner, etc. and give them each a tale to tell as they ride through the night. Some of the characters already have modern versions (the Lawyer, the Cook, the Friar). A possibility might be to give the modern characters similar "character flaws" to the originals. This could be a major project, but if it demonstrated an understanding of the original work, it could be quite fruitful, whether the assignment called for a piece about or like the original.

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I see someone else is already working on answering your question, so I'll just add this: a list of modern day "pilgrims" that would be fun to stereotype today, from the humorous literary website McSweeney's. Check it out; it might spark some ideas!

mcsweeneys.net/articles/modern-canterbury-tales

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