Geoffrey Chaucer, The Cook's Tale

Craig Bertolet (Auburn University)
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The fourth story begun in Geoffrey Chaucer’s

Canterbury Tales

is told by the London Cook whom the Host, Harry Bailey calls Roger of Ware.

The Cook’s Tale

is also the first incomplete tale in

The Canterbury Tales

. Three other pilgrims do not complete their tales: the Squire, the Monk, and Chaucer himself with his “Tale of Sir Thopas”. Each of these tale-tellers are interrupted by another pilgrim, but the Cook is not. The scribe who wrote the Hengwrt Manuscript (the earliest manuscript containing the tales) noted that “Of this Cokes tale maked Chaucer no moore”, recognizing that the tale breaks off, rather than concludes. In this manuscript, space appears at the end of the last line as if awaiting the rest of the tale to be found and added.

Later in The Canterbury Tales,

2231 words

Citation: Bertolet, Craig. "The Cook's Tale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 09 October 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=19961, accessed 19 March 2024.]

19961 The Cook's Tale 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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