The Pilgrim’s Progress
Posted: March 14th, 2022THE CANTERBURY TALES, Geoffrey Chaucer’s late 14th century collection of Middle English stories, was compulsory reading at school. The prologue sets its ironic or satirical tone as it is the coming of spring, rather than religious devotion, that stirs pilgrims to visit shrines, both overseas and in Canterbury. Chaucer mentions the pilgrims’ wish to see the blessed martyr who helped restore them to health from sickness, but doesn’t name him. His tales are far from devotional, being often quite raunchy and very funny stories of the cast of pilgrims.