What is 'The Canterbury Tales' about?

What is 'The Canterbury
Tales' about?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chaucer's long poem follows the journey of
a group of pilgrims, 31 including Chaucer
himself, from the Tabard Inn in Southwark to
St Thomas à Becket's shrine at Canterbury
Cathedral. The host at the inn suggests each
pilgrim tell two tales on the way out and two
on the way home to help while away their
time on the road. The best storyteller is to
be rewarded with a free supper on their
return.
This literary device gives Chaucer the
opportunity to paint a series of vivid word
portraits of a cross-section of his society,
from a knight and prioress, to a carpenter
and cook; a much-married wife of Bath, to a
bawdy miller - an occupation regarded in
Chaucer's day as shifty and dishonest.
Chaucer mixes satire and realism in lively
characterisations of his pilgrims. The tone of
their tales ranges from pious to comic, with
humour veering between erudite wit and
good honest vulgarity. Taken together, the
tales offer a fascinating insight into English
life during the late 14th century.
Chaucer's original plan was for over 100
stories, but only 24 were completed, some of
which had already been written for earlier
works. Their order varies in different
surviving copies, the Hengwrt manuscript
being valued most for its accuracy.