The Canterbury Tales is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer’s magnum opus. The tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral.

The Canterbury Tales is generally thought to have been incomplete at the end of Chaucer’s life. In the General Prologue, some 30 pilgrims are introduced. According to the Prologue, Chaucer’s intention was to write four stories from the perspective of each pilgrim, two each on the way to and from their ultimate destination, St. Thomas Becket’s shrine (making for a total of about 120 stories). It is revered as one of the most important works in English literature.