STUDY QUESTIONS / BOOK REPORT IDEAS

1. Analyze the pervading themes of "The Canterbury Tales".

2. Comment on the structural unity of "The Canterbury Tales".

3. Analyze the "General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales" as providing the framework for the tales.

4. Write character sketches for the main group of pilgrims.

5. Write a critical note on the dual role of Chaucer as the narrator and the poet of "The Canterbury Tales".

6. Attempt a critical appreciation of the female characters in the "General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales".

7. Comment on Chaucer's portraiture of the ecclesiastic characters and the state of the church in the fourteenth century.

8. Analyze the good and idealized characters in the "General Prologue To The Canterbury Tales".

9. Comment on Chaucer's representation of the fourteenth century English society.

10. Write a critical essay on Chaucer's use of the pilgrimage as a structural device in "The Canterbury Tales".

11. Write a note on Chaucer's use of irony.

12. Analyze the plot structure of "The Canterbury Tales".

13. Which is the best tale according to you and why?

14. Write a note on the marriage group of tales.

15. Attempt an allegorical interpretation of "The Canterbury Tales".

16. Discuss Chaucer's ironic portraiture of the Prioress.

17. What is the main theme of the Wife of Bath's Tale?

18. Is the Parson's Tale an appropriate ending for "The Canterbury Tales"?

19. Does "The Canterbury Tales" appear as an unfinished fragment or does it have narrative cohesiveness and wholeness expected of a work of art?

20. Analyze "The Nun's Priest's Tale" as a mock - heroic beast fable.

21. Which is the most interesting character among the assorted group of pilgrims? Why?

22. Write a biographical sketch of Chaucer and life in the Middle Ages.