Chaucer in context

Amongst the most written about works of English literature Chaucer's Canterbury Tales still defy categorization claims the author of this book. Was Chaucer a poet of profound religious piety or a sceptic who questioned all religious and moral certainties? Do his pilgrims reflect the society of the day or were they a product of an already well-established literary tradition and convention? Surveying and assessing competing critical approaches to Chaucer's work this text emphasizes a need to see Chaucer in historical context; the context of the social and political concerns of his own day.