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The Nun's Priest's Tale
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1959
4 people are currently reading
165 people want to read
About the author
Geoffrey Chaucer
1,218 books1,350 followersGeoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for The Canterbury Tales. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He was the first writer to be buried in what has since come to be called Poets' Corner, in Westminster Abbey. Chaucer also gained fame as a philosopher and astronomer, composing the scientific A Treatise on the Astrolabe for his 10-year-old son, Lewis. He maintained a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament.
Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is seen as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin. Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "the firste fyndere of our fair langage" (i.e., the first one capable of finding poetic matter in English). Almost two thousand English words are first attested to in Chaucerian manuscripts. As scholar Bruce Holsinger has argued, charting Chaucer's life and work comes with many challenges related to the "difficult disjunction between the written record of his public and private life and the literary corpus he left behind". His recorded works and his life show many personas that are "ironic, mysterious, elusive [or] cagey" in nature, ever-changing with new discoveries.
Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is seen as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin. Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "the firste fyndere of our fair langage" (i.e., the first one capable of finding poetic matter in English). Almost two thousand English words are first attested to in Chaucerian manuscripts. As scholar Bruce Holsinger has argued, charting Chaucer's life and work comes with many challenges related to the "difficult disjunction between the written record of his public and private life and the literary corpus he left behind". His recorded works and his life show many personas that are "ironic, mysterious, elusive [or] cagey" in nature, ever-changing with new discoveries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
September 22, 2020
"Your tale annoyeth all this company."
My exact thoughts on the story's prologue :) With patience and a good translation site, however, I found a string of tales rich in medieval folklore.
Some historic gems:
-------------------
1. Indo-European etymology
"Sweven", means dream in M. English. A cognate of "swapan" in Sanskrit ?
2. Astrology defined health
Quotes like this abound:
"You be full choleric of complexïon. Beware the sun in his ascensïon."
3. Double Jokes
At one point, he says "Mulier est hominis confusio," telling a lady it means "Women are life's joy." Actual translation : 'Woman is man's ruin'
4. Prime time
In Medieval England the word "prime" meant the clock struck 9 a.m.
5. Old religion comparative
Friday is the day of Venus, or Germanic goddess "Frigga." Hindus also named Friday after the 2nd planet from the sun.
.
My exact thoughts on the story's prologue :) With patience and a good translation site, however, I found a string of tales rich in medieval folklore.
Some historic gems:
-------------------
1. Indo-European etymology
"Sweven", means dream in M. English. A cognate of "swapan" in Sanskrit ?
2. Astrology defined health
Quotes like this abound:
"You be full choleric of complexïon. Beware the sun in his ascensïon."
3. Double Jokes
At one point, he says "Mulier est hominis confusio," telling a lady it means "Women are life's joy." Actual translation : 'Woman is man's ruin'
4. Prime time
In Medieval England the word "prime" meant the clock struck 9 a.m.
5. Old religion comparative
Friday is the day of Venus, or Germanic goddess "Frigga." Hindus also named Friday after the 2nd planet from the sun.
.
April 17, 2024
chicken and French hen duchess discourse over the power of dreams
October 30, 2023
So, has the fox finally raped the cock or not? 🤨
April 5, 2023
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales has been a beloved read for me since my undergrad days, and I still find myself drawn to the witty humour and depth of the tales. The Nun's Priest Tale is a captivating story that has always held a special place in my heart. The characters and their interactions, along with Chaucer's use of a mock-heroic style to portray farm animals, make for a rich and entertaining read. However, it is the deeper themes that Chaucer weaves into the story that truly sets it apart as the tale provides a fascinating glimpse into medieval dream theories and medical practices. Chaucer's storytelling and commentary are as relevant today as they were in his time, and his ability to add new flavour to a well-known tale is truly impressive.
Arthur T. Broes' research paper, Chaucer's Disgruntled Cleric: The Nun's Priest's Tale, is an exemplary work of scholarship that provides a detailed analysis of the tale. Broes explores the historical and literary context of the story and delves into Chaucer's use of allegory, symbolism, and satire to convey the hierarchical positions in the church, while also revealing its overt misogynistic tone. I found this depth of analysis to be invaluable in gaining a deeper understanding of the tale. Additionally, Harvard's Geoffrey Chaucer Website provides a modern English translation of the text that enhances the reading experience without compromising the beauty of the original language. This allows readers to fully appreciate the intricate wordplay and linguistic nuances that are integral to Chaucer's work.
Along with Broes' insightful analysis and Harvard's modern translation, is a must-read for anyone interested in Chaucerian scholarship and English literature. The story's depth, humour, and social commentary make it a timeless remake of a fable most of us are already familiar with.
Arthur T. Broes' research paper, Chaucer's Disgruntled Cleric: The Nun's Priest's Tale, is an exemplary work of scholarship that provides a detailed analysis of the tale. Broes explores the historical and literary context of the story and delves into Chaucer's use of allegory, symbolism, and satire to convey the hierarchical positions in the church, while also revealing its overt misogynistic tone. I found this depth of analysis to be invaluable in gaining a deeper understanding of the tale. Additionally, Harvard's Geoffrey Chaucer Website provides a modern English translation of the text that enhances the reading experience without compromising the beauty of the original language. This allows readers to fully appreciate the intricate wordplay and linguistic nuances that are integral to Chaucer's work.
Along with Broes' insightful analysis and Harvard's modern translation, is a must-read for anyone interested in Chaucerian scholarship and English literature. The story's depth, humour, and social commentary make it a timeless remake of a fable most of us are already familiar with.
September 25, 2018
I was tasked with reading this for my Senior Year British Literature Class.
At first, I was a little apprehensive at reading this. I have never been interested in Middle English nor Old English texts, as they bore me quite a lot. And that is exactly what this did, sadly.
However, I do appreciate the history behind Chaucer's tales and his purpose for writing them. I just didn't find this one to be interesting in the slightest.
At first, I was a little apprehensive at reading this. I have never been interested in Middle English nor Old English texts, as they bore me quite a lot. And that is exactly what this did, sadly.
However, I do appreciate the history behind Chaucer's tales and his purpose for writing them. I just didn't find this one to be interesting in the slightest.
October 27, 2024
uwielbiam zwierzątka
February 22, 2024
not his best
October 12, 2013
Although this review comes under the Nun's Priest's Tales, it really covers the whole of Fragment VII of The Canterbury Tales, and to be honest it's a very mixed bag and is one of the least engaging sections so far. The tales it contains are: The Shipman's Tale; the Prioress's Tale; The Tale of Sir Thopas and the Tale of Melibee (both supposedly told by Chaucer in his position as one of the pilgrims); The Monk's Tale and The Nun's Priest's Tale.
The Shipman's tale harks back to the fun (and sex) filled fableaux from early in the collection - the miller's tale etc - in which a monk borrows money from a merchant to pay the merchant's avaricious wife for sex and when the merchant asks for the money back the monk tells him that he gave it to his wife and that he should ask her for it. As usual in these tales, Chaucer's language is full of exotic and sex-charged vim and wit:
"That for thise hundred frankes he sholde al nyght
Have hire in his armes bolt upright"
Whether it's her, or him (or parts of him, anyway) that are bolt upright, I'll leave it to you to work out. This is probably the best story in this fragment.
The Prioress's Tale is an anti-semitic rant about a young christian boy, killed by the jews (because of course Satan "hath in Jewes' heart his waspe's nest") - not just one, all of them - and thrown on a dungheap, for no reason other than he's singing the Alma Redemptoris Mater, and when his mother goes looking for him his corpse starts to sing and says what's happened. There's at least one other story in the collection with exactly the same plot.
Sir Thopas - this was heading towards being the most enjoyable story in the fragment, with its jog trot rhythm and easy rhyming scheme, until the Host and the knight demand that it's stopped because they're bored - and it's replaced with the tale of Melibee which is interminably dull, over 1000 lines of a man who wants to go to war with his neighbours being argued out of it by his patient wife. Truly a tough task reading it all without skimming.
The Monk's tale is a disjointed retelling of historical and mythical tragedies but the final story, the Nun's Priest's tale takes the folk story of the proud cock Chanticleer and his paramour hen Pertelote, and makes a lovely mock epic poem, in which the back yard fowl become heroes of almost mythic levels - the middle section gets weighted down with philosophical arguments, but the opening and closing sections in which chanticleer has his dream and later escapes from the jaws of the ravaging fox through cunning and trickery are great fun.
On the whole though, the tales are starting to wear thin in their interest, and I'm glad I'm only reading them one fragment at a time.
The Shipman's tale harks back to the fun (and sex) filled fableaux from early in the collection - the miller's tale etc - in which a monk borrows money from a merchant to pay the merchant's avaricious wife for sex and when the merchant asks for the money back the monk tells him that he gave it to his wife and that he should ask her for it. As usual in these tales, Chaucer's language is full of exotic and sex-charged vim and wit:
"That for thise hundred frankes he sholde al nyght
Have hire in his armes bolt upright"
Whether it's her, or him (or parts of him, anyway) that are bolt upright, I'll leave it to you to work out. This is probably the best story in this fragment.
The Prioress's Tale is an anti-semitic rant about a young christian boy, killed by the jews (because of course Satan "hath in Jewes' heart his waspe's nest") - not just one, all of them - and thrown on a dungheap, for no reason other than he's singing the Alma Redemptoris Mater, and when his mother goes looking for him his corpse starts to sing and says what's happened. There's at least one other story in the collection with exactly the same plot.
Sir Thopas - this was heading towards being the most enjoyable story in the fragment, with its jog trot rhythm and easy rhyming scheme, until the Host and the knight demand that it's stopped because they're bored - and it's replaced with the tale of Melibee which is interminably dull, over 1000 lines of a man who wants to go to war with his neighbours being argued out of it by his patient wife. Truly a tough task reading it all without skimming.
The Monk's tale is a disjointed retelling of historical and mythical tragedies but the final story, the Nun's Priest's tale takes the folk story of the proud cock Chanticleer and his paramour hen Pertelote, and makes a lovely mock epic poem, in which the back yard fowl become heroes of almost mythic levels - the middle section gets weighted down with philosophical arguments, but the opening and closing sections in which chanticleer has his dream and later escapes from the jaws of the ravaging fox through cunning and trickery are great fun.
On the whole though, the tales are starting to wear thin in their interest, and I'm glad I'm only reading them one fragment at a time.
January 9, 2013
This tale was very interesting. Geoffrey Chauncer's style of writing is very different from the style of writing that is popular today. "The Tale of the Nun's Priest" is about animals that have humanistic traits and meangingful morals. There is a rooster that has everything going for him. He has many beautiful wives and is the king of the barn, until one day. A mysterioius fox captures the rooster. Will he escape? I would recommend this tale/series to anyone who is up for the challenge for reading translated middle English because it is interesting to compare today's language to the ancient style itself.
March 18, 2016
Geoffrey was a weird man, kudos to his imagination though.
June 23, 2023
The Monks' Tale
A series of short poems about famous people.
The Knight cuts off the tale saying:
For me, it is a thing that cannot please
To hear how men that dwelt in wealth and ease
Are fallen on days that strip them or destroy!
The Nuns' Priest's Tale
So the Priest begins a silly mock epic concerning a cock and a hen. The Cock is tricked by a fox and almost eaten but he escapes.
The Physician's Tale
A Knight with a beautiful daughter is demanded by a crooked judge to give the daughter to a man who claims she was a stolen slave. The knight kills the daughter instead and later the townspeople slay the man responsible and feel pity for the knight.
A series of short poems about famous people.
Samson
But to his wives his secret foolishly
he told, and slew himself in great distress
Hercules
He slew the lion, and bore away its hide;
He brought to dust the Centaur's boast and pride
Nero
He slit her womb, for this cause and no other:
To see whence he was born! Ah, welaway!
Alexander
No conquerer ever lived that could resemble
Or be compared with him in fame and power
The Knight cuts off the tale saying:
For me, it is a thing that cannot please
To hear how men that dwelt in wealth and ease
Are fallen on days that strip them or destroy!
The Nuns' Priest's Tale
So the Priest begins a silly mock epic concerning a cock and a hen. The Cock is tricked by a fox and almost eaten but he escapes.
The Physician's Tale
A Knight with a beautiful daughter is demanded by a crooked judge to give the daughter to a man who claims she was a stolen slave. The knight kills the daughter instead and later the townspeople slay the man responsible and feel pity for the knight.
April 27, 2023
A very smart Chaucerian tale that calls back on many of the other Canterbury Tales and their key morals.. through the simple and comedic story of a chicken and a fox.
It’s very fun to see the medieval romantic genre played out with a rooster as the hero; the lengthy description about his grandeur, his dream prophecies, his courtly lady, etc.
This poem is meant to be mostly digressions and apostrophe, which is a smart way of suspending the tension of the plot. However, it’s also a bit hard to get through, especially when you don’t understand all the references easily in the way that a medieval audience would.
Still a nice tale though.
It’s very fun to see the medieval romantic genre played out with a rooster as the hero; the lengthy description about his grandeur, his dream prophecies, his courtly lady, etc.
This poem is meant to be mostly digressions and apostrophe, which is a smart way of suspending the tension of the plot. However, it’s also a bit hard to get through, especially when you don’t understand all the references easily in the way that a medieval audience would.
Still a nice tale though.
December 4, 2017
The more I read from Chaucer the more I like it. For my study I read all the original texts and although I struggled at first I can really see the charm of it now. This story has a lot more going on under its surface and I advice everyone who reads the text to read background information about the influence of the planets to enjoy this story even more!
September 22, 2020
Read this piece of the Canterbury Tales for my British Literature course and enjoyed it enough that I feel like I’ll eventually want to read the rest of them. Also I kept forgetting that the characters were chickens lol...
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April 9, 2022a cock who thinks (rightfully) that dreams are prophetic, vs a silly female hen who thinks he’s talking trash and tells him not to worry. next thing he knows, he’s in a fox’s mouth - what’s not to love? plus the names chauntecleer and pertelote are hilarious and my kids are def getting them
November 8, 2024
I had to read it for class, it wasn’t amazing but it was interesting to see how it has influenced literature, a cock and a fox, probably inspiring La Fontaine, or Pertelote dying out of love for Chantecleer, was giving bits of Romeo and Juliet.
February 5, 2020
Among the most boring ones.
September 18, 2021
déjà vu
September 9, 2022
i may be lacking intellectuals because my brain cannot comprehend the english….that’s not really english, but it also is?
October 25, 2022
Chaucer turning random animal farm into a religious system allegory, George Orwell could never
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November 7, 2022didn’t expect a priest to start talking about cocks but good for him ig.
November 12, 2022
not bad by any means. it's actually pretty cool. just not for me.
February 14, 2023
this is so weird
May 31, 2023
I hate my English teacher for making me study this, I could have been doing Brownings poetry instead :(
July 26, 2023
i appreciate all the comedic genius of Chaucer’s work and how influential it has been but jesus christ do i hate middle english literature
September 15, 2023
Alright. Lol
July 10, 2024
Riso sul serio peccato che i soggetti siano POLLI
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September 22, 2024Middle English is kinda fun tho
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October 5, 2024I said I’d never read Chaucer again and yet here I am
Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews