The Summoners Tale (Variorum Chaucer Series)

Part Seven

Once reviled as an example of Chaucer at his most tasteless and omitted from some editions of The Canterbury Tales, this scatological anecdote has over time been accorded genuine admiration, first grudging and finally unabashed.

As in The Millers Tale, Chaucer has elaborated a simple fart joke into pungent satire against human foibles. Here too, through subtle references to religious lore, Chaucer transforms mere vulgarity into a truly clever jest and, in the opinion of some critics, a serious commentary on important issues. The particular target of the tales satire is a friar who is so blinded by greed, hypocrisy, and anger that he cannot see how others perceive him.

Author: Geoffrey Chaucer

Language: English

Binding: Hardcover

Pages: 272

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

Publication Date: 1995-11-15