When The Canterbury Tales were written, Christianity was the dominant social force throughout western Europe, including England. Its influence stretched across the social spectrum from nobles to poor beggars. In 1388, while Chaucer was working on the tales, a change occurred in the way that Christianity was perceived and practiced when John Wycliffe, an English reformer, released a version of the Bible translated into English. For the first time, people from the lower classes, who had not been educated in Latin, could read the Bible themselves instead of having its word interpreted to them by members of the clergy.
The influence of Christianity can be seen in The Canterbury Tales by the variety of social types presented. Fourteenth century.....
This is a free excerpt of 135 words. This section contains 1,086 words. This
study guide contains 79,794 words (approx. 266 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Literature Guide with our The Canterbury Tales Access Pass.
