OSHER 364 - Canterbury Tales

Geoffrey Chaucer is arguably the father of English poetry. His "Canterbury Tales," which ostensibly portrays a group of pilgrims bound for the cathedral at Canterbury, was the culminating work of Chaucer's career. A profoundly funny work of literature, featuring memorable characters both secular and religious, like the Wife of Bath, the Pardoner,and the Nun's Priest, it paints a broad portrait of English society toward the conclusion of the 15th century. The work is a biting satire of the church and at the same time a rollicking description of human foibles and eccentricities. Of course, we will have to select only a few of these tales for close reading, but the work as a whole will both entertain and inform.