
audiobook
THE BELLES OF CANTERBURY - A CHAUCER TALE OUT OF SCHOOL - A Play In One Act for Eleven Girls
BY ANNA BIRD STEWART, A.M.
THE BELLES OF CANTERBURY - PERSONS IN THE PLAY.
THE BELLES OF CANTERBURY
A lively one‑act play sets a girls’ school classroom buzzing with the excitement of a holiday party in the works. Freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors slip into the voices of Chaucer’s iconic women—from the bold Wife of Bath to the poised Prioress—mixing medieval wit with modern schoolyard chatter. Their quest to devise a memorable Thanksgiving celebration spirals into a comedy of ideas, mishaps and the inevitable clash of personalities.
The script balances clever dialogue with simple staging, inviting community groups to bring the story to life without elaborate sets. Costumes range from bright, farm‑style skirts for the Wife of Bath to an Amazonian armor for Hippolyta, giving each character a distinctive flair. As the girls brainstorm menus, friendships, and a touch of Chaucerian mischief, listeners are treated to a charming snapshot of youthful creativity and timeless storytelling.
Language
en
Duration
~21 minutes (20K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Kentuckiana Digital Library, David Garcia and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.
Release date
2005-02-09
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects
Best known for lively children’s books, verse, and school plays, this American writer moved easily between imagination, history, and performance. Her books range from fairy-tale warmth to literary retellings, giving listeners a glimpse of a versatile early-20th-century voice.
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