Sir Topas is Chaucer's tale in The Canterbury Tales (1387). Chaucer: Illustration from Cassells History of England, circa 1902 Chanticleer the rooster from an outdoor production of Chanticleer and the Fox at Ashby-de-la-Zouch castle Geoffrey Chaucer (ca. ... Canterbury Tales Woodcut 1484 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). ... Events June 2 - John Holland, a maternal half-brother of Richard II of England, is created Earl of Huntingdon. ...

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 Romances, 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. by Sophie Anderson A fairy, or faery, is a creature from stories and mythology, often portrayed in art and literature as a minuscule humanoid with insect-like wings. ... In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. ...

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. Thomas Warton (January 9, 1728 - May 21, 1790) was an English academic and poet, holder of the title of Poet Laureate from 1785. ...