# Bad Chaucer: The Great Poet's Greatest Mistakes in the Canterbury Tales - Hardcover

by **Tison Pugh** (Author)

Acclaimed for centuries as the "Father of English Literature," Geoffrey Chaucer enjoys widespread and effusive praise for his classic _Canterbury Tales_\--and rightfully so. Still, even the greatest of authors cannot claim perfection, and so _Bad Chaucer: The Great Poet's Greatest Mistakes in the_ Canterbury Tales analyzes his various missteps, missed opportunities, and other blunders in this peerless masterpiece. From a vexing catalog of trees in the _Knight's Tale_ to the flirtations with blasphemy in the _Parson's Tale_, this volume progresses through the _Canterbury Tales_ story by story, tale by tale, pondering the most egregious failing of each in turn. Viewed collectively, Chaucer's troubles stem from clashing genres that disrupt interpretive clarity, themeless themes that undermine any message a tale might convey, mischaracterized characters who act without clear motivation, purposeful and otherwise pleasureful badness that show Chaucer's appreciation for the humor of bad literature, and outmoded perspectives that threaten to alienate modern readers. Badness is not always to be lamented but often celebrated, even cherished, for badness infuses artistic creations with the vitality that springs from varied responses, spirited engagements, and the inherent volatility of enjoying literature. On the whole, _Bad Chaucer: The Great Poet's Greatest Mistakes in the_ Canterbury Tales swerves literary criticism in a new direction by examining the provocative question, for too long overlooked, of what this great author got wrong.

### Author Biography

**Tison Pugh** is Pegasus Professor of English at the University of Central Florida. He is the author or editor of over two dozen books, including _On the Queerness of Early English Drama: Sex in the Subjunctive_ and _Chaucer's (Anti-) Eroticisms and the Queer Middle Ages_.

**Number of Pages:** 274

**Publication Date:** January 17, 2024

## Details

- **Price:** 30.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 30.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Bad Chaucer: The Great Poet's Greatest Mistakes in the Canterbury Tales - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/bad-chaucer-the-great-poets-greatest-mistakes-in-the-canterbury-tales-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-21