Welcome back to the book club. I'm Michael Knowles and this month we will be reading the most vulgar body,

downright often disgusting book I've ever read,

The Canterbury Tales by Jeffrey Chaucer, the most popular work of English literature ever.

We will be doing that with my dear friend,

Catherine Ilingworth.

Catherine, last time you were here, we were reading Dante together so very similar time

period a little bit earlier but similar time period to Chaucer that's right

Dante we were discussing the most elevated beautiful images that one can possibly imagine, so much so that as I read the final three contos,

paradizo, I was crying at my desk. That's right. That was not my experience of the Canterbury tales. I was crying sometimes for different reasons in laughter and how

body this book is. Can you maybe give a brief summary of this story.

I can try after that introduction.

So this is the story of a group of people who have gathered together completely by chance because they all want to go on a pilgrimage

from the city of Southick outside of London to Canterbury.

And they are staying at an inn together and as they realize that they're all going to be

making this journey together, the host who's the owner of the inn invites everybody

to help pass the time while they're traveling by telling a story.

So he says everyone tells two stories on the way there,

two stories on the way back,

and we'll see who can tell the best story.

And whoever tells the best they win a dinner.

Yes, which is he's being a shrewd businessman because he says then you'll

come back here and dine here again and I'll cover the check for one of you. So he's

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