Readership of Canterbury Tales

Who read Chaucer's work during the Middle Ages?

Some scholars believe that intended audience of The Canterbury Tales is difficult to determine, however through a glimpse of history, we can begin to identify who it was intended for, or who would have been able to read the manuscript. Chaucer wrote in Middle English, his work is a translation of languages from Middle English to Modern English language. The book would have been written for people who could speak the language--an English person.

Based on the language and literary technique, Chaucer's story was written for the middle class, but the characters were regular people in regular everyday occupations, which suggests that the story was written about everyday people. Thus, the story was written for middle class, about everyday people. It has been stated that Chaucer made the work readable for everyday people to understand. Another assumption is in Chaucer's characters. If Chaucer is writing stories about monks, nuns, knights, squires, then maybe the book is intended for these types of people in those specific occupations. Chaucer was a courtier, appointed to different positions within the court, by King Richard II, so it is possible that he was a court poet, writing exclusively for nobility.

Could women read and write during the Middle Ages?

Women were not educated in the Middle Ages, because they were always taken care of by men in their family. There was no employment for women, and the only alternative to marriage was a convent life (nuns in a church). In Leila Avrin’s Scribes, Script, and Books, women were banned from books and reading: “In medieval times, it was believed generally that women should not concern themselves with reading and writing, even in nunneries” (p. 226). Therefore, literacy for women would naturally be low, and this is a great hardship, because women had to depend on men to take care of them forever. If women could not read and write, their entire livelihood depended on men. What if the men were killed in battle? Women could not support themselves during this period because they could not read. However, there are several tales, like the Monk’s tale, that include many women who are looked upon as sexual objects. The context of the story is an accurate display of history. However, rich women in court could afford to purchase a manuscript, might have been able to read. Avrin suggests that there could be evidence on female literacy, by looking at nunneries: “throughout the medieval period, women were involved in the production of books, both inside and outside nunneries...there were at times nuns who were authors and scribes” (p. 226).  Female nuns had access to books, and it appears that religion was one way for women to access knowledge and learning. Another idea is that young women could be taught how to read by the males in their family: father, son, brother, or husband—if they allowed them to read. There are several female pilgrims in the Canterbury Tales: including a prioress, a widow, and two nuns. The fact that Chaucer includes women on the trip to Canterbury suggests that there will be satirical commentary on the treatment of women.