Canterburyjske priče

The collection is framed by the story of 30 pilgrims who travel from the London area to Canterbury in the province of Kent to pay their respects to the grave of Thomas Becket. Pilgrims are representatives of different social classes, professions and personalities. Before leaving, they gather at the Tabard Inn and agree to have a story-telling competition on the way to Canterbury and back. Chaucer planned to write about a hundred stories, two for each pilgrim on the way out and on the way back. By the end of his life, he wrote 24 of them, of which 22 were in verse (Jampa ten), and two were in prose. The stories vary in genre from chivalric romances, folk tales, saints' legends and fables to hymns, allegories and even alchemical calculations. Themes and stories are taken from the Decameron, French literature and local legends. They are imbued with irony, humor, and sometimes satire. They are characterized by the simplicity and ease of presentation and the use of proverbs, wise sayings and other features of the vernacular of the time.