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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

In the spring of 1387, Geoffrey Chaucer had just survived the political storms of London and was settling into a quieter life in Kent. It was during this…

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
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Runtime: 19 hr 23 min · Watch the full audiobook on YouTube · Subscribe to Ion Books

In the spring of 1387, Geoffrey Chaucer had just survived the political storms of London and was settling into a quieter life in Kent. It was during this period of transition that he began composing a work that would redefine the English language itself. He was not merely writing stories; he was forging a literary voice that blended the common speech of the tavern with the elevated diction of the court. Before Chaucer, serious literature in England was largely the province of Latin or Anglo-Norman French. By choosing to write in the vernacular, he legitimized the spoken language of his contemporaries, creating a foundation upon which all subsequent English poetry would be built. The structure of the collection is deceptively simple. A group of pilgrims gathers at the Tabard Inn in Southwark, bound for the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. To pass the time on the long road, they agree to tell tales. What follows is a mosaic of voices, ranging from the noble Knight to the bawdy Miller, each offering a different perspective on love, corruption, and human nature. It is a work designed for slow, attentive engagement.

Summary generated by AI model Qwen 3

Public domain & narration

The edition shown here comes from Project Gutenberg, which publishes only books that are in the US public domain.

The narration is the LibriVox recording read by 19 volunteer readers, including Chip, Gesine and Thomas Hoover. LibriVox volunteers dedicate their recordings to the public domain.

Ion Books adds the synchronized scrolling text and video, so you can read along while you listen, for free.

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Chapters

  1. Chapter 1: Preface (6:21) · watch
  2. Chapter 2: The Life of Geoffrey Chaucer (58:18) · watch
  3. Chapter 3: The General Prologue (39:00) · watch
  4. The Knight’s Tale, Part 1 (1:06:20) · watch
  5. The Knight's Tale, Part 2 (1:19:51) · watch
  6. Chapter 6: The Miller's Tale (54:42) · watch
  7. Chapter 7: The Reeve's Tale (23:26) · watch
  8. Chapter 8: The Cook's Tale (7:51) · watch
  9. Chapter 9: The Men of Law's Tale (1:19:51) · watch
  10. Chapter 10: The Wife of Bath's Tale (1:03:23) · watch
  11. Chapter 11: The Friar's Tale (22:53) · watch
  12. Chapter 12: The Sompnour's Tale (43:03) · watch
  13. Chapter 13: The Clerk's Tale (1:20:06) · watch
  14. Chapter 14: The Merchant's Tale (1:21:25) · watch
  15. Chapter 15: The Squire's Tale (43:41) · watch
  16. Chapter 16: The Franklin's Tale (31:34) · watch
  17. Chapter 17: The Doctor's Tale (17:01) · watch
  18. Chapter 18: The Pardoner's Tale (40:02) · watch
  19. Chapter 19: The Shipman's Tale (27:36) · watch
  20. Chapter 20: The Prioress's Tale (15:06) · watch
  21. Chapter 21: The Tale of Sir Thopas (10:12) · watch
  22. Chapter 22: Chaucer’s Tale of Meliboeus (36:01) · watch
  23. Chapter 23: The Monk's Tale (47:29) · watch
  24. Chapter 24: The Nun’s Priest’s Tale (47:07) · watch
  25. Chapter 25: The Second Nun’s Tale (27:43) · watch
  26. Chapter 26: The Canons Yeoman’s Tale (37:28) · watch
  27. Chapter 27: The Manciple’s Tale (17:04) · watch
  28. Chapter 28: The Parson’s Tale (54:57) · watch
  29. Chapter 29: Preces de Chauceres (3:48) · watch

Full text

This work is too long to show on one page. Read it on Project Gutenberg · download ebook.txt

Sources

Raw pipeline data (admin)