The Canterbury Tales

by

Geoffrey Chaucer

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The Canterbury Tales: The Host’s Interruption of Chaucer Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
The Host tells Chaucer to stop his horrible doggerel, saying that his terrible rhymes are “nat worth a toord!” Instead, he advises Chaucer to tell a tale in prose that contains some sort of value. “Gladly,” says Chaucer, and says that he can tell a tale in prose with deep meaning just as well as anybody can.
Chaucer the author makes Chaucer the pilgrim one of the worst tale-tellers on the pilgrimage. The Host’s comparison of the tale of Sir Thopas to a “turd” is also Chaucer’s way of making fun of doggerel romances written in heavily alliterative verse.
Themes
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Friendship and Company Theme Icon
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