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Articles

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale

Les Reid on sex, freedom and literature.

The Nun’s Priest’s Tale is one of the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. It contains a passing reference to the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 and for that reason it is believed to have been written some time in the mid-1380s. Although it is highly prized as a treasure of English literature, its worth as a classic of early English philosophy has been much less appreciated. In that respect, its format, being a work of humorous verse, has been a drawback, obscuring the fact that it deals with philosophical issues of mind, body, freewill and determinism. Behind the colourful display of medieval romance and comedy, a sharp intelligence is at work, comparing human with animal behaviour and challenging us to clarify our belief that free will is a distinguishing feature of human actions.

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