arymonster 's review for:

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling by Nick Bantock, Geoffrey Chaucer, Peter Ackroyd

3.5

lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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An engaging modern rendering. Bawdy, earthy, timeless, etc. But I honestly don’t see what all the fuss is about, and certainly don’t understand how the Brits could use Chaucer as an argument for how very civilized their culture was, in comparison to those they colonized. The tales break down into roughly 3 categories: (1) 2 dudes want to smash the same lady, who may or may not be interested; (2) oh, those wacky pagans; and (3) watch out! You may be sinning! Yes, six centuries later the characters and their problems remain fresh and relatable, but this just highlights their ordinariness. It’s no more or less worth of canonization or reverence than, say, The Shanameh, or The Mahabharata, or The Tale of Genji, or… you get the idea.