Book description
This is the first book to deal wholly with Chaucer’s comic tales. Each of the eight chapters is a critical appreciation of one or more of the tales, these being: the Miller’s; the Reeve’s; the Shipman’s, the Nun’s Priest’s; Sir Thopas, the Cook’s, and the Canon’s Yeoman’s; the Friar’s; the Summoner’s; and the Merchant’s. The individual tales are not, however, discussed in isolation, but always with reference to the others, and (to a lesser degree) to Chaucer’s poetry as a whole.
By this comparison and analysis, Dr. Craik shows some general features of Chaucer’s many-sided art: in particular, he considers Chaucer as a story-teller and a poet, and he regards the tales, not primarily as expressions of the pilgrims’ personalities (the usual view), but as comic narrative pems in their own right.
This book is intended not only for professional students of literature, but also for "the common reader" who already enjoys Chaucer’s poetry and humour and who wishes to add to his enjoyment.
