The Canterbury Tales
Patience is a conquering virtue.
Key words
- Vernacular: the form of a language that a particular group of speakers use naturally, especially in informal situations
The Spanish I learned in school is very different from the local vernacular of this Mexican village.
- Revere: to very much respect and admire someone or something
Nelson Mandela is revered for his fight against apartheid.
- Turbulent: involving a lot of sudden changes, arguments, or violence
His book discusses the turbulent years of the civil rights struggle.
- Nefariously: in a morally bad way
Such schemes can be used nefariously to keep rivals out of a market.
- Relic: a part of the body or clothing of a saint, or something that belonged to a saint.
These bones are the relics of a 12th-century saint.
Read the article to find the answers
- When were the Canterbury Tales written?
- What was its greatest contribution to English literature?
- What political events do they mention?
- Why was Canterbury important?
The Canterbury Tales
The Canterbury Tales are a collection of twenty-four stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. The tales are presented as part of a storytelling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. Storytelling was the main form of entertainment in England at the time, and storytelling contests had been held for hundreds of years.
An animated version of The Canterbury Tales was nominated for an Oscar in 1999 and won the BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film in addition to four Primetime Emmys.