Written by a group of internationally renowned scholars, the Oxford Guides to Chaucer offer complete summaries of all that is known about Chaucer's work and include fresh interpretations based on recent advances in both historical knowledge and theoretical understanding. Providing essential and up-to-date information on dating and sources, and original analyses of thematic issues, structure, style, rhetoric, and generic relations, the Guides will inspire readers to find new ideas and meaning in Chaucer's works.This premier volume, easily the most comprehensive single-volume guide to The Canterbury Tales available, brings together a wide range of disparate material, including useful commentary on all aspects of the work. Sure to establish itself as the standard guide to Chaucer's Tales, the book throws new light on the work as a whole, critically discusses each individual tale, and provides a survey of literary responses to the Tales over the two centuries following Chaucer's death.