The Canterbury Tales Handbook

Elizabeth Scala is a Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where she has taught since 1995. The recipient of a Harry Ransom Teaching Award in the College of Liberal Arts, Professor Scala is the author of Desire in the Canterbury Tales and Absent Narratives, Manuscript Textuality, and Literary Structure in Late Medieval England. In addition, she has contributed to numerous edited collections and has published dozens of articles in various journals. She is also one of the principal editors of the internationally recognized journal Exemplaria: Medieval / Early Modern / Theory.

An ideal companion to The Canterbury Tales, this brief, accessible book introduces students to Chaucer's tales and helps them understand the language, genres, forms, historical background and critical history.

BUILDS READING SKILLS FROM THE VERY FIRST CHAPTERDeveloping solid Middle English reading skills at the start of the semester is essential to students' success. This unique handbook devotes extra time to the General Prologue and the first few tales and builds comprehension through basic reading-research exercises.LIVELY AND ACCESSIBLE DISCUSSIONS OF GENRES, SOURCES, CONTEXTS, AND MOREIn engaging and student-friendly prose, Elizabeth Scala contextualises each tale by genre and form and examines crucial matters such as the teller of the tale, historical background and critical history. She provides just enough information so that students can read or re-read Chaucer with confidence, knowing they can turn to the handbook for help with challenging language or unfamiliar concepts.A GREAT VALUE ON ITS OWN-EVEN BETTER WHEN PACKAGEDPriced considerably lower than competing texts-in both print and digital form-this handbook is great value for any course in which The Canterbury Tales are taught in Middle English.