The Canterbury Tales (Oxford World's Classics)

'Whoever best acquits himself, and tells
The most amusing and instructive tale,
Shall have a dinner, paid for by us all...'

In Chaucer's most ambitious poem, The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387), a group of pilgrims assembles in an inn just outside London and agrees to entertain each other on the way to Canterbury by telling stories.

The pilgrims represent all ranks of society, including the crusading Knight, the burly Miller, the worldly Monk, and the lusty Wife of Bath. Their tales are as diverse as their backgrounds, featuring romance, bawdy comedy, beast fable, learned debate, parable, and Eastern adventure.

The resulting collection offers characters so vivid they are often mistaken for real-life portraits, stories that are both hilariously comedic and deeply tragic. Even after 600 years, their exploration of the human condition remains both fresh and profoundly true.

This new edition of David Wright's acclaimed translation includes a new critical introduction, invaluable notes by a leading Chaucer scholar.