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The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century (two of them in prose, the rest in verse). The tales, some of which are originals and others not, are contained inside a frame tale and told by a collection of pilgrims on a pilgrimage from Southwark to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The Canterbury Tales are written in Middle English. Although the tales are considered to be his magnum opus, some believe the structure of the tales is indebted to the works of The Decameron, which Chaucer is said to have read on an earlier visit to Italy.

The themes of the tales vary, and include topics such as courtly love, treachery, and avarice. The genres also vary, and include romance, Breton lai, sermon, beast fable, and fabliaux. Though there is an overall frame, there is no single poetic structure to the work; Chaucer utilizes a variety of rhyme schemes and metrical patterns, and there are also two prose tales. The Tales include
•    The General Prologue
•    The Knight's Tale
•    The Miller's Prologue and Tale
•    The Reeve's Prologue and Tale
•    The Cook's Prologue and Tale
•    The Man of Law's Prologue and Tale
•    The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale
•    The Friar's Prologue and Tale
•    The Summoner's Prologue and Tale
•    The Clerk's Prologue and Tale (also known as The Oxford Cleric)
•    The Merchant's Prologue and Tale
•    The Squire's Prologue and Tale
•    The Franklin's Prologue and Tale
•    The Physician's Tale
•    The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale
•    The Shipman's Tale
•    The Prioress' Prologue and Tale
•    Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas
•    The Tale of Melibee
•    The Monk's Prologue and Tale
•    The Nun's Priest's Prologue and Tale
•    The Second Nun's Prologue and Tale
•    The Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and Tale
•    The Manciple's Prologue and Tale
•    The Parson's Prologue and Tale
•    Chaucer's Retraction
Some of the tales are serious and others comical. Religious malpractice is a major theme, as is the division of the three estates. Most of the tales are interlinked by common themes, and some "quit" (reply to or retaliate for) other tales. The work is incomplete, as it was originally intended that each character would tell four tales, two on the way to Canterbury and two on the return journey, for a total of one hundred twenty--which would have dwarfed the twenty-four tales actually written.
Some critics have seen political overtones within the tales, particularly since Chaucer himself was a significant courtier and political figure at the time. The tales contain many hints at contemporary events, and the theme of marriage common in the tales has been presumed to refer to several different marriages, most often those of John of Gaunt. Chaucer himself was one of the characters on the pilgrimage, and another character, Harry Bailly of the Tabard Inn, was a real person as well. It is considered quite likely the cook was Roger Knight de Ware, a contemporary London cook.