Literature Fun Facts - I hope you enjoy cheers Thomas.
The pilgrim Chaucer on his way to Canterbury
Most Expensive Book
The news of an original copy of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales made it to the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998. The original copies of Canterbury Tales were printed in 1477 by William Caxton, the first printer to introduce the printing press in England. Only one of these first copies is still in private hands and was sold in an auction on July 8, 1998, for £4,621,500, making it the most expensive book ever sold.
Fat Monks and the Sin of Gluttony
Chaucer's Monk in the Canterbury Tales was described in the Prologue as "a lord ful fat and in good point" (line 200). A new study finds that Chaucer's description of the Monk as a person who loves to eat and is overweight is accurate. A 2004 study by archaeologists at University College London found that monks during medieval days were actually gluttons. Archaeologists studied one hundred monk skeletons at 3 abbeys dating from the medieval period. The bones were thick; joint problems from obesity were evident; and there were signs of arthritis—all of these proved that monks were actually overweight, as portrayed in paintings and literature of medieval times. Another study estimates that some monks consumed about 6,000 calories a day. Eating was a physical pleasure monks could enjoy!
Poets' Corner
Chaucer was the first poet to be buried in Westminster Abbey—initiating the Poets' Corner. Today there are 29 poets buried and 55 poets commemorated in the Poets' Corner.
No comments:
Post a Comment