The Canterbury Tales
I found this at my brother's house and it must have been given to my father as a school prize or something. A compelling read of tales relayed by pilgrims starting at a pub in Borough High Street on their way to Canterbury. The tales range from ones of true love and sacrifice to truly bawdy behaviour that's laugh out loud. I knew that parts were fruity but sex up a pear tree and kissing a hairy arse before doing it again only to be farted on I wasn't expecting. There's a lot about how bad wives can be and a lot about how bad husbands can be. In both the same ways. And a lot of infidelity and cuckolding going on to boot. All the tales are very readable and either funny or sensitive. The intros or prologues are also interesting sometimes cutting stories short for being too boring or for no given reason. A couple I was looking forward to finishing when the host brings them to a premature close. This is easy to read being a translation into modern (well, 1950s) English and having looked at the Old English version I'd never have waded through it even with the modern text next to me. Well done Nevill Coghill.
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