PROGRAMS

DONATE SCHEDULE
WHERE TO WATCH
NEWS
ABOUT
Our Pledge
SUPPORT
SUPPORT
LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
DONATE

THIS DAY IN ART HISTORY: THE

FIRST READING OF CHAUCER’S
CANTERBURY TALES, 1397
THIS DAY IN ART HISTORY: THE FIRST READING OF CHAUCER’S
CANTERBURY TALES, 1397
APRIL 17, 2018 | BRITT STIGLER
POSTED IN WORDS

SHARE

APRIL 17, 2018 | BRITT STIGLER SHARE

POSTED IN WORDS

April 17, 1397, marks the date that Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1345–1400) rst
read his epic work, “The Canterbury Tales,” aloud at the court of King
Richard II. An important turning point in the history of English literature,
Chaucer broke with tradition and recited his tales in English, the language
of the peasant, instead of the stately Norman French typically spoken at
court.

Widely considered to be his magnum opus, “The Canterbury Tales” is a

17,000 line poem that follows the journey of a group of 31 pilgrims, including
Chaucer, to the tomb of St. Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. “Tales”
was written between 1387 and 1400, and taken as a whole, it provides a
critical portrait of English society in the 14th century, with stories about
characters from a range of social classes. While Chaucer’s original plan for
the manuscript was to include more than 100 stories, with each pilgrim
telling two stories on the journey to Canterbury and two on the way back,
he died before it could be nished, leaving only 24 completed.

Before the advent of the printing press made mass distribution possible, the
remarkable stories were passed down over the years through handwritten
accounts. Currently, only about a dozen rst-edition copies of the manuscript
survive in the world.

WATCH BELOW: Antiques Roadshow: Appraisal of Golden Cockerel Press

“The Canterbury Tales”

We're sorry, but this video is not available.