Book Club: The Canterbury Tales

 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2383

Canterbury Tales by Chaucer Free eBook

The Wife of Bath

The Canterbury Tales were written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300s. It is a group of stories in rhyming poetry form told about religious pilgrams traveling together to Canterbury, England. Traveling in groups was usually safer than traveling alone.

All the stories are great. 

I have a difficulty with the language. Originally written in a form of Olde English, the pronunciations and thus the stories can be hard to understand. Reading it aloud makes it easier for me - the spelling and the rhymes make more sense that way.

Rather than ask everyone to read the whole group for pur first book, I suggest you read the prologue describing the characters and choose a story or few from this list and dig in. They are funny, sometimes naughty and clever in my opinion. What's your opinion?

     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

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What is the character's main objective or purpose in life?  How do you relate to this purpose? 

2. What is a contradiction in their life that presents a challenge?

3. If you joined this group of travellers, how much time would you spend of your trip talking to this character?

4. Who do you choose to travel with? Why?

5. If a Tale was written about you on a journey, what would it be called?