Analysis of “The Nun’s Priest’s
Tale”
By Geoffrey Chaucer
Genre
• Beast Fable
• Mock Epic
Sources
• A variety, ranging from the Bible to Aesop.
Structure
• Opening in Barnyard
– Fox
• Dream Discussion
• Seizing of Chanticleer
• Escape of Chanticleer
– Flattery
Themes and Style
• Woman is to blame for the Fall of Man
• Frequently “ludicrous”
• Barnyard vs. philosophical
Moral or lesson
• Flattery will get you nowhere
• Keep your mouth shut and your ears open
Here Endeth the Lesson
• Produced by Chaucer, Inc.
• Directed by Mr. Jackson
• Copyright MCMLXXXIII, all rights reserved.