The Controversial Nature of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the Omission of Obscenities in Dictionaries

Geoffrey Chaucer was one of the few poets of the Middle Ages to explore the vulgar side of English and the connection between the common people and their language. The Miller’s Tale exemplifies this style. In this episode, we explore the history of swearing and obscenities, and we examine Chaucer’s use of bawdy language in the Miller’s Tale.

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 129