![](https://media.shortform.com/avatars/marion-turner-47679.jpg)
Ranked #2 in Medieval, Ranked #38 in GRE — see more rankings.
The procession that crosses Chaucer's pages is as full of life and as richly textured as a medieval tapestry. The Knight, the Miller, the Friar, the Squire, the Prioress, the Wife of Bath, and others who make up the cast of characters -- including Chaucer himself -- are real people, with human emotions and weaknesses. When it is remembered that Chaucer wrote in English at a time when Latin was the standard literary language across western Europe, the magnitude of his achievement is even more remarkable. But Chaucer's genius needs no historical introduction; it bursts forth from every page...
moreReviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of The Canterbury Tales from the world's leading experts.
![](https://media.shortform.com/avatars/marion-turner-47679.jpg)
Marion Turner Each individual tale can be interpreted in so many ways—Chaucer really opens up possibilities of multiple interpretations. Even when he seems to give you a clear moral, that moral is never effective or convincing. He’s always saying: ‘Find your own moral; find your own meaning.’ (Source)
Rankings by Category
The Canterbury Tales is ranked in the following categories:
- #88 in Adultery
- #42 in Annotations
- #63 in Class
- #98 in Classical
- #56 in English Writer
- #91 in Epic
- #40 in GRE Prep
- #89 in Gilmore Girls
- #84 in High School Reading
- #60 in Penguin Classics
- #61 in Poetry
- #96 in Public Domain
- #91 in Storytelling
- #66 in University