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The Canterbury Tales

by Geoffrey CHAUCER (c. 1343 - 1400)

The Reeve's Tale

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). The tales, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a frame tale and told by a group of pilgrims on their way from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The themes of the tales vary, and include topics such as courtly love, treachery, and avarice. The genres also vary, and include romance, Breton lai, sermon, beast fable, and fabliau. The characters, introduced in the General Prologue of the book, tell tales of great cultural relevance. The version read here was edited by D. Laing Purves (1838-1873) “for popular perusal” and the language is mostly updated. (Summary by Wikipedia/Gesine)

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Listen next episodes of The Canterbury Tales:
Chaucer’s Tale of Meliboeus , Preces de Chauceres , The Canons Yeoman’s Tale , The Clerk's Tale , The Cook's Tale , The Doctor's Tale , The Franklin's Tale , The Friar's Tale , The Manciple’s Tale , The Men of Law's Tale , The Merchant's Tale , The Monk's Tale , The Nun’s Priest’s Tale , The Pardoner's Tale , The Parson’s Tale , The Prioress's Tale , The Second Nun’s Tale , The Shipman's Tale , The Sompnour's Tale , The Squire's Tale , The Tale of Sir Thopas , The Wife of Bath's Tale