Canterbury Tales

A detailed Summary of Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, written in approximately 1385, is a collection of

twenty-four stories ostensibly told by various people who are going on a religious pilgrimage to

Canterbury Cathedral from London, England. Prior to the actual tales, however, Chaucer offers

the reader a glimpse of fourteenth century life by way of what he refers to as a General Prologue.

In this prologue, Chaucer introduces all of the characters who are involved in this imaginary

journey and who will tell the tales. Among the characters included in this introductory section is

a knight. Chaucer initially refers to the knight as "a most distinguished man" (l. 43) and, indeed,

his sketch of the knight is highly complimentary.

successful and busy career, he is extremely humble: Chaucer maintains that he is "modest as a

go on his pilgrimage that he has not even paused before beginning it to change his clothes.

concept of the modest but effective soldier captured the imagination of the country. Indeed, the

the embodiment of the chivalric code: he is devout and courteous off the battlefield and is bold

Minor where he "was of [great] value in all eyes (l. 63). Even though he has had a very

conduct. Nevertheless, in his description of the knight, Chaucer shows the reader the possibility

It would be nice to think that a person such as the knight could exist in the twentieth

69-70). Indeed, the knight is dressed in a common shirt which is stained "where his armor had

Approximate Word count = 517
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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