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What is the structure of The Canterbury Tales?

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The Canterbury Tales is a selection of stories written by the late 14th-century writer Geoffrey Chaucer. The book is a collection of stories narrated by a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury.

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Chaucer composed The Canterbury Tales in the 14th century as a set of fables. The most parts are written in verse, and two of the tales are written in prose. The writer uses the English language of the Middle Ages. The literary workers often separate the tales into ten parts. The stories of one part are directly connected. They follow a particular order, which illustrates the distinctions of each section.

The text contains a progression of stories told by the group of journeymen. Canterbury is a holy place where the grave of a paster lies. A group of pilgrims going to Canterbury recount the tales to intrigue their host. The host proposes to award the best storyteller with a free meal. There were altogether thirty travelers, and each of them reveals two stories during the journey. In the Canterbury Tales, the pilgrims represent different classes. For instance, the travelers portray the merchants, the church workers, the knight, the low-class workers. The prose gives each character a defined role and time to tell their story. Hence, Chaucer made a collection of stories narrated by pilgrims. He included the representatives of all social classes in the Middle Age to make his composition realistic and engaging.

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