Kelly Bang Zhen Shi (Condition: 80% new)

Author: (Australian) Kerry, translated by Li Yao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Chaucer's monumental work is composed of many stories, but what sets it apart is how the author, through his ingenious organization and arrangement, weaves together these originally unrelated tales into a cohesive whole. Although the original plan was too ambitious and remained unfinished, the outline of this unity is already quite clear. In the "General Prologue" of the book, the author introduces the origin of this "storytelling gathering." It was an evening in April when Chaucer encountered a group of horseback pilgrims arriving at the Tabard Inn for lodging. There were twenty-nine people in total, destined for Canterbury, with a mix of genders and diverse backgrounds, ranging from knights and squires to nuns, abbesses, friars, monks, merchants, Oxford scholars, lawyers, yeomen, seamstresses, carpenters, weavers, dyers, rug weavers, cooks, sailors, doctors, skilled Bath women, parsons, farmhands, millers, kitchen stewards, housekeepers, church officials, and sellers of indulgences. As a result, Chaucer and the innkeeper also joined this pilgrimage. Canterbury is located in the southeastern corner of England, about sixty to seventy miles away from London (which was only one square mile at the time), not too far. However, in the 14th century, England's population was approximately 2.5 million, with low population density. Traveling in groups was naturally safer, facilitated mutual support, and reduced the loneliness of the journey. Therefore, the innkeeper, who volunteered to be the guide and acted as the leader, proposed that each person should tell four stories during the four-day round trip, with him serving as the judge. The one whose stories were deemed the most "meaningful and interesting" would be rewarded with a banquet hosted by the group at the inn upon their return.