CANTERBURY TALES

The Prioresse's Irony In “The Canterbury Tales”

The Prioresse's Irony In “The Canterbury Tales”

Introduction

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, was—or were—mostly written between about 1387 and some time in the 1390's. It was his last work before his death in 1400, which is clearly foreseen in the conclusion. The tales include romances, comic bawdy tales, religious tales of several sorts, and serious prose tracts. The whole is prefaced by The General Prologue. This is a series of character sketches of the tale-tellers, who are as varied as their tales, and are represented as 29 pilgrims about to set out from ...