American Caravan - Canterbury Tales

Chaucer is considered to be one of Europe's  greatest writers. He was an early humanist who wrote a poem about the personalities and tales of 20 medieval pilgrims on their way to Canterbury Cathedral outside of London, England. He died in 1400 before he could complete the poem.

His twenty pilgrims represented  a cross section of medieval English society, high and low. Each pilgrim told a tale during the course of their travels. Chaucer's study of human nature and the interaction among the travelers during their journey created a travleogue format still used today by authors and film directors. The tales told by his pilgrims continue to  inspire, amuse, and shock students of literature and history.