Chaucer's Tale of Sir Topas

In Canterbury Tales, there is a character named Geoffrey Chaucer. Chaucer's portrait of himself is unflattering and humble. He presents himself as a reticent, maladroit figure who can barely summon a tale to mind. In comparison to the other travelers in the group, Chaucer the character is reluctant to speak, and when he does tell a tale, it is in keeping with what a student/clerk would tell.

Sir Topas is the story of a knight who is kidnapped to fairyland by the queen of the fairies and banished for his mistaken love. The tale is a parody of Romancess, with their knights and fairies and absurdities, and Chaucer the author satirizes not only the grandiose, Gallic romances, but also the readership of such tales -- timid men and women of learning.

The host, Harry Bailey, interrupts Chaucer's tale, telling him that "this droste verse is not worth a tord."

The character Chaucer then tells the laborious and dull debate poem of the Tale of Melibeus. Again, this is in keeping with the character Chaucer: a man of too much learning and too little experience. The tale is full of moral sentiment and philosophy, but it is fairly slow for modern readers.

The reception of Sir Topas is perhaps the most interesting thing about it. When Chaucer began to be treated as a treasure of English letters after his death, his satiric intent was lost. Into the 18th century, readers regarded Harry Bailey's interruption as a sign of poor breeding, and they treated the tale of Sir Topas itself as a great work. It was Thomas Warton who first suggested (at least in print) that Chaucer was not serious, that the whole tale is a parody and that the character of Geoffrey Chaucer must not be confused with Geoffrey Chaucer the author.