The Canterbury Tales

by Chaucer, Geoffrey; Benson, Larry

• ISBN13: 9780395978238
• ISBN10: 0395978238
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-04-13
• Publisher: Amazon.Com

Summary

Based on the definitive Riverside Chaucer, this edition of The Canterbury Tales contains the complete text of all 24 Tales, thoroughly updated scholarship from the past 20 years, and extensive editorial support. This volume is ideal for instructors who want to assign only the Tales and have no need for the complete Chaucer. An overview briefly outlines the basic plot and main idea of each Tale, while a section on language and versification helps students with pronunciation. Explanatory notes provide information on sources, problematic passages, and critical interpretations. Additional pedagogy includes a glossary, a section on Chaucer's life, an index, a general bibliography, and a list of abbreviations.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Introduction	xiii
Chaucer's Life	xiii
Martin M. Crow
Virginia E. Leland
A Chronology of Chaucer's Life and Times	xxiii
Larry D. Benson
Language and Versification	xxvi
Norman Davis
THE CANTERBURY TALES	1	(312)
Fragment I (Group A)
General Prologue	5	(14)
The Knight's Tale	19	(29)
The Miller's Prologue and Tale	48	(11)
The Reeve's Prologue and Tale	59	(7)
The Cook's Prologue and Tale	66	(3)
Fragment II (Group B1)
The Man of Law's Introduction, Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue	69	(18)
Fragment III (Group D)
The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale	87	(17)
The Friar's Prologue and Tale	104	(6)
The Summoner's Prologue and Tale	110	(9)
Fragment IV (Group E)
The Clerk's Prologue and Tale	119	(16)
The Merchant's Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue	135	(16)
Fragment V (Group F)
The Squire's Introduction and Tale	151	(9)
The Franklin's Prologue and Tale	160	(12)
Fragment VI (Group C)
The Physician's Tale	172	(3)
The Pardoner's Introduction, Prologue, and Tale	175	(10)
Fragment VII (Group B2)
The Shipman's Tale	185	(6)
The Prioress's Prologue and Tale	191	(3)
The Prologue and Tale of Sir Thopas	194	(5)
The Tale of Melibee	199	(23)
The Monk's Prologue and Tale	222	(12)
The Nun's Priest's Prologue, Tale, and Epilogue	234	(10)
Fragment VIII (Group G)
The Second Nun's Prologue and Tale	244	(8)
The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and Tale	252	(12)
Fragment IX (Group H)
The Manciple's Prologue and Tale	264	(5)
Fragment X (Group I)
The Parson's Prologue and Tale	269	(41)
Chaucer's Retraction	310	(3)
General Bibliography	313	(8)
Abbreviations	321	(12)
Explanatory Notes	333	(150)
Glossary	483	(66)
Index to Proper Names in the Tales	549	(14)
Index to the Explanatory Notes	563