Aaron’s Reviews > The Canterbury Tales > Status Update

Started listening to John Fleming's Chaucer class on this and it has enhanced the reading greatly. While I found the work enjoyable in its own right, the depth of the work was unclear to me. Hearing Fleming's framing of the Tales within the history of European literature, its relationship to The Consolation of Philosophy and Romance of the Rose has made this one of the most engaging literary experiences I've had.

'No more of this for God's dear dignity!'
Our Host said suddenly. 'You're wearying me
To death, I say, with your illiterate stuff.
God bless my soul! I've had about enough.'
...
'Why so?' said I, 'Why should you hinder me
In telling my tale more than another man,
Since I am giving you the best I can?'
'By God,' he said, 'put plainly in a word,
Your dreary rhyming isn't worth a turd!'

Keep rollin' rollin' rollin' rollin'

Miller's Tale is amazing. His and the Reeve's tales both have filthy euphemisms and slapstick. It's surprising how close this is to modern entertainment despite being 700 years old.

The Knight: Let me be brief
>gives history of Thebian combat
>80 page tale
>"now to sum things up"
>gives history of God's creation

I now know why I've never been assigned the Knight's Tale in English Lit. courses