Chanticleer

Chanticleer is a satirical novel that draws inspiration from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and features anthropomorphic animals as characters. The title character Chanticleer is a rooster who serves as the leader of a community of farm animals. Through a series of interconnected tales and adventures the novel explores themes of human nature society and morality. Cornelius Mathews' writing in Chanticleer is likely characterized by its wit humor and social commentary. The novel may use the interactions and experiences of the animal characters to comment on contemporary issues and satirize aspects of American society in the mid-19th century. While Mathews' works may not be as widely read today as they were in the past Chanticleer remains of interest to scholars of American literature and those interested in the development of literary satire in the United States.