Out of an abundance of caution in response to the spread of COVID-19, we have canceled all remaining seminars in the Winter/Spring 2020 term. Please visit www.newberry.org/covid19 for further updates.

Please email seminars@newberry.org with any questions.

Seminar Description

Chaucer was master of a wide range of literary genres, from the chivalric romance to the fart joke. No matter the genre, he succeeded in representing a rich tapestry of human characters and actions solidly rooted in medieval England yet also strikingly compelling to twenty–first century readers. In this seminar, which focuses on The Canterbury Tales, we will read the work’s “General Prologue,” which introduces Chaucer’s pilgrims, as well as five tales that represent the range of the writer’s literary styles and characters.

Six sessions. E – $230, R – $253

Ron Corthell recently retired after 40 years of service as a scholar, teacher, and university administrator. He is a Newberry scholar–in–residence and taught a Newberry seminar on Milton’s Paradise Lost in 2019.

Materials List

Required:

• Canterbury Tales: Seventeen Tales and the General Prologue. V.A.Kolve, Ed. Norton, 2018. ISBN: 978-1324000563

First Reading:

• Please read "The General Prologue."

Registration Information

• Online registration opens at 9 am (CST) on Tuesday, January 7.
• Phone registration opens at 12 pm (CST) on Wednesday, January 8.

Early registration (E) prices are in effect from January 7 at 9 am through January 24 at 4 pm. Regular registration (R) prices are in effect January 24 at 4 pm through the end of the term.

We offer a 10% discount to members, seniors, and students.

Need Help? Please email seminars@newberry.org.

This seminar is part of the Newberry’s Seminars Program. Learn more about registering for a seminar, program policies and procedures, or teaching a seminar.