The Canterbury Tales

Why is there such an emphasis on the physical or material world in his tale?

How can this be used to tell a spiritual tale? Is this an allegory?Notice the emphasis on the body parts.

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After the Black Death, many Europeans began to question the authority of the established Church. Some questioned the institution itself. Specifically they questioned the corruption and hypocrisy. This is why Canterbury Tales is so heavy on the religious themes of piety and corruption (ex Pardoner's Tale) Chaucer's childhood was during the plague era which I would think affected his tale as well. Many of the stories were bawdy reflecting the sexual hypocrisy of both the clergy and "devout" followers. There is allegory in particular stories like The Wife of Bath (Bread and Sex, who knew?) but I think the Tales were largely meant to shed some light on political, cultural and religious institutions.