Reading Response 1: Choosing the Winner of the Tale-telling Contest
In the Prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales the host, Harry Bailly, proposes a story-telling contest in which he will be
the judge. A prize will be awarded to the pilgrim who tells the tale, in the host’s words, “that gives the fullest measure / Of
good morality and general pleasure” (24). (In the original Middle English, the Host’s criteria for the winning story are
“Tales of best sentence [meaning or significance] and moost solaas [pleasure]” [line 798].) The best tales, in other words,
should both teach and delight. Your job in this assignment is to imagine that we’ve read the four finalists and to take the
role of Harry Bailly and award the prize for the tale that best fulfills these dual goals.
How exactly a story does those things, and what constitute the instructive and the delightful features will, of course, be
judged differently by different people. Thus, you must be clear about how your chosen tale combines meaningfulness with
pleasure. In the first paragraph of your response you should clearly state which story should win and how it seems to best
meet the Host’s criteria.
The remainder of your response should be spent providing evidence from the tale that you’ve chosen to substantiate your
claims. You may also briefly mention the ways in which other tales fall short of the standards achieved by your chosen
tale in order to illustrate your position. Your response should include no fewer than three quotations to back up your
reading. When including quotations, please remember to introduce these quotes, making clear where in the text they’re
coming from and what’s going on in the quote. You should also be sure to explain how each quote is substantiating the
point that you’re trying to make.
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

Your response should be between 1 ½ and 2 typed, double-spaced pages (using 12-point font.)
Worth 10 points.
Due Friday.
Reading Response 1: Choosing the Winner of the Tale-telling Contest
In the Prologue to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales the host, Harry Bailly, proposes a story-telling contest in which he will be
the judge. A prize will be awarded to the pilgrim who tells the tale, in the host’s words, “that gives the fullest measure / Of
good morality and general pleasure” (24). (In the original Middle English, the Host’s criteria for the winning story are
“Tales of best sentence [meaning or significance] and moost solaas [pleasure]” [line 798].) The best tales, in other words,
should both teach and delight. Your job in this assignment is to imagine that we’ve read the four finalists and to take the
role of Harry Bailly and award the prize for the tale that best fulfills these dual goals.
How exactly a story does those things, and what constitute the instructive and the delightful features will, of course, be
judged differently by different people. Thus, you must be clear about how your chosen tale combines meaningfulness with
pleasure. In the first paragraph of your response you should clearly state which story should win and how it seems to best
meet the Host’s criteria.
The remainder of your response should be spent providing evidence from the tale that you’ve chosen to substantiate your
claims. You may also briefly mention the ways in which other tales fall short of the standards achieved by your chosen
tale in order to illustrate your position. Your response should include no fewer than three quotations to back up your
reading. When including quotations, please remember to introduce these quotes, making clear where in the text they’re
coming from and what’s going on in the quote. You should also be sure to explain how each quote is substantiating the
point that you’re trying to make.



Your response should be between 1 ½ and 2 typed, double-spaced pages (using 12-point font.)
Worth 10 points.
Due Friday.