Chaucer's Pilgrims

To have a clear understanding of Chaucer''s Canterbury Tales the reader needs to know about the vocations of the pilgrims. For some 600 years this information has been difficult to locate. This reference provides a detailed historical description of the occupations of Chaucer''s pilgrims. An entry is devoted to each traveler and the entries have similar formats to foster comparison. Each entry discusses the historical daily routine of the pilgrim''s occupation the portrayal of the profession in Chaucer''s poem and the relationship between the tale and Chaucer''s General Prologue.Chaucer''s Canterbury Tales is one of the oldest and most widely studied works of English literature. The tales provide a glimpse of medieval life and the professions of the pilgrims figure prominently in the poetry. To have a clear understanding of Chaucer''s work the reader needs to know about the vocations of the pilgrims. For some 600 years this information has been difficult to locate. This reference work conveniently synthesizes and discusses information about the occupation of each of Chaucer''s pilgrims and provides an historical context.The volume contains individual entries for each of Chaucer''s pilgrims and the entries share a similar format to foster comparison. Each entry includes three parts. First the pilgrim''s profession is discussed in terms of the daily routine of the medieval occupation. Second the vocation is examined in terms of its reflection in the tale told by the pilgrim. Third the vocation and the tale are discussed when possible in relation to the descriptions of the characters provided in the General Prologue. Each entry includes a bibliography and the volume concludes with a list of works for further reading.