BOOKS OF THE WORLD| The Canterbury Tales: Denouncing Corruption and Hypocrisy

Hi there. Welcome to this podcast, from the Canary Islands to the world, 

This is a literary journey without borders. Each episode I explore a work, an author or a literary movement from different corners of the planet. Because books are also passports, and each story brings us closer to different cultures, languages and realities.

Today I'm talking about a magnificent work of English literature: The Canterbury Tales, written by Geoffrey Chaucer around 1386. In it, a group of pilgrims travel to visit the tomb of Saint Thomas Beckett, murdered by order of Henry VIII, and stay at an inn called The Tabard. There, they decide to liven up the journey by telling each other a story on the way there and another on the way back. I won't tell you how it ended. 

Chaucer paints a precise picture of medieval society, in which all three social classes are present: nobility, clergy, and peasantry. Without a doubt, the clergy bear the brunt, as they denounce corruption and hypocrisy. You could even say that women form their own class: the nun who wears makeup, the superior who eats lavishly, the friar who takes advantage of confessions, and another who asks for indulgences... And then there's the Wife of Bath, from empowered to abused, as if the author were punishing her.

And that concludes  today's episode, see you in the next one!

If you have any comments or suggestions for future episodes, feel free to drop me a comment.

Patricia López Muñoz

Higher Technician in Sociocultural Dynamisation

Specialist Technician in Immigration

Higher Technician in Social Integration