Database of Chaucerian "Vocational Tales" in Speculative Fiction
Below is a (to-be-annotated) list of speculative fiction works with titles modelled on the formula naming the individual pilgrim narratives that make up Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. Some of these stories make explicit reference to Chaucer or his characters, while others may owe nothing at all to the Chaucerian tradition except the faint echo of the title. I am collecting these titles here as an part of a larger project tracking and analyzing Chaucer's influence on contemporary speculative fiction, the first phase of which will appear in The Chaucer Review towards the end of this year under the title "Flying Chaucers, Insecticle Ecclesiasts, and Pilgrims Through Space and Time: The Science Fiction Chaucer."
I hope that I will be eventually able to provide annotations for all of these works that clarify extent to which each can be understood as influenced (or not) by Chaucer, but as of yet I have actually read a relatively small number of the texts. If nothing else, however, the large size of this obviously incomplete list testifies to the enduring popularity of the "vocational tale" and its titling convention, both in medievalized settings and otherwise.
If you would like to contribute a title or more to this list, please contact me as [email protected].
-The Abominable Child's Tale -- Carol Emshwiller (2010)
-The American's Tale -- Arthur Conan Doyle (1879)
-The Apothecary's Tale -- Esther M. Friesner (1986)
-The Archer's Tale -- Bernard Cornwell (2002)
-The Artificer's Tale -- John Morressy (2003)
-The Author's Tale -- L. A. Lewis (1934)
-The Bard's Tale -- Terry Dixon (1972)
-The Bard's Tale -- multimedia franchise encompassing multiple video games and novels, originating with the 1985 role-playing game The Bard's Tale, and continuing in print with the eight-part, multi-author novel series begun in Mercedes Lackey and Josepha Sherman's Castle Deception (1992)
-The Blacksmith's Tale -- Spider Robinson (1985)
-The Bone-Carver's Tale -- Jeff VanderMeer (1995)
-Canterbury 2100: Pilgrimages in a New World -- a Neo-Chaucerian anthology edited by Dirk Flinthart (2009), containing:
-The Carbon-Knitter's Tale -- Rita de Heer
-The Census-Taker's Tale -- Kaaron Warren
-The Conductor's Tale -- Lyn Battersby
-The Dead Priest's Tale -- Martin Livings
-The Doctor's Tale -- Ben Bastian
-The Evangelist's Tale -- L. L. Hannett
-The Gnomologist's Tale -- Matthew Chrulew
-The Hunter's Tale -- Grant Watson
-The Janus' Tale -- Penelope Love
-The Lighterman's Tale -- Trent Jamieson
-The Mathematician's Tale -- Durand Welsh
-The Metawhore's Tale -- Lee Battersby
-The Miner's Tale -- Laura E. Goodin
-The Nun's Tale -- Angela Slatte
-The Peat-Digger's Tale -- Thoraiya Dyer
-The Sky-Chief's Tale -- Sue Isle
-The Tingler's Tale -- Geoffrey Maloney
-The Veteran's Tale -- Stephen Dedman
-The Canvasser's Tale -- Mark Twain (1876)
-The Changeling's Tale -- Michael Swanwick (1994)
-The Child's Tale -- Carole Nomarhas (2000)
-The Companion's Tale -- Darrell Schweitzer (2005)
-The Deacon's Tale -- Arinn Dembo (2011)
-The Dead Man's Tale -- Willard Hawkins (1923)
-The Dead Slaver's Tale -- Robert E. Howard (1974)
-The Diviner's Tale -- Bradford Morrow (2011)
-The Doctor's Tale -- Darrell Schweitzer (1981)
-The Dolt's Tale -- Elizabeth Bowen (1965)
-The Dragon's Tale -- Tamora Pierce (2009)
-The Dream Pirate's Tale -- Kent Brewster (1993)
-The Drifter's Tale -- Hal Duncan (2007)
-The Dungeonmaster's Tale -- Kristine K. Thompson (1986)
-The Elder Daughter's Tale -- Tracina Jackson-Adams (2003)
-The English Gentleman's Tale: The Gold Bride -- Christina Stead (1934)
-The Exile's Tale -- Susan Palmer (2000)
-The Fire-eater's Tale -- Jack Dann and Janeen Webb (2000)
-The Fool's Tale -- L. Timmel Duchamp (2002)
-The Ghatti's Tale -- title for series of novels by Gayle Greeno beginning with Finders-Seekers (1993)
-The Ghoul's Tale -- Robert M. Price (2008)
-The Gravedigger's Tale -- Simon Clark (1989)
-The Green Captain's Tale -- Terry Dowling (1993)
-The Guardener's Tale -- Bruce Boston (2007)
-The Handmaid's Tale -- Margaret Atwood (1985)
-The Handyman's Tale -- Constance Miller and Crystal Daniels (1997)
-The Hiker's Tale -- Mike Allen (2007)
-The Hunter's Tale -- Laura J. Underwood (1999)
-The Hunter's Tale -- Grant Watson (2009)
-The Jester's Tale -- Esther M. Friesner (1985)
-The Kiowa's Tale -- Robert E. Howard (1976, posth.)
-The Knight's Tale -- C. E. Murphy (2012)
-The Lamia's Tale -- Laura J. Mixon (1993)
-The Lighterman's Tale -- Trent Jamieson (2009)
-The Linnet's Tale -- Dale C. Willard (2002)
-The Lobbyist's Tale -- Bruce Holland Rogers (2000)
-The Long Porter's Tale -- Lord Dunsany (1914)
-The Major's Tale -- Ambrose Bierce (1890)
-The Manticore's Tale -- Catherynne M. Valente (2007)
-The Martyr's Tale -- Craig Saunders (2012)
-The Master Miller's Tale -- Ian R. MacLeod (2007)
-The Mathematician's Tale -- Durand Welsh (2009)
-The Mermaid's Tale -- Elizabeth Cunningham (1993)
-The Messenger's Tale -- Ken Liu (2012)
-The Minstrel's Tale -- Tanith Lee (1988)
-The Minstrel's Tale -- Joan Horn (1988)
-The Money Splicer's Tale -- Bruce Boston (2007)
-The Monk's Tale -- Esther M. Friesner (1985)
-The Mummer's Tale -- Samuel R. Delany (1985)
-The Navigator's Tale -- Ian Watson (2005)
-The Necromancer's Tale -- Peter Tennant (2001)
-A Neo-Canterbury Tale: The Hog Drover's Tale -- James S. Dorr (1986)
-The Neuter's Tale -- Martha A. Hood (1993)
-The Nightmare's Tale -- Tanith Lee (1990)
-The Nixon Wrangler's Tale -- Thomas Marcinko (1999)
-The Nova Europa Fantasy Saga -- Robert Reginald [Michael Roy Burgess]
-The Cracks in the Æther: The Hypatomancer's Tale, Book One (2011)
-The Dark-Haired Man, or, The Hieromonk's Tale: A Romance of Nova Europe (2004)
-The Exiled Prince, or, The Archquisitor's Tale: A Romance of Nova Europa (2004)
-Quæstiones, or, The Protopresbyter's Tale: A Romance of Nova Europa (2004)
-The Old Retainer's Tale -- Darrell Schweitzer (2002)
-The Pardoner's Tale -- Robert Silverberg (1987)
-The Pardoner's Tale -- Jackie Cassada (1994)
-The Persecutor's Tale -- John M. Ford (1982)
-The Photographer's Tale -- Daniel Mills (2011)
-The Physician's Tale -- Ann Benson (2006)
-The Piper's Tale -- Laura J. Underwood (1998)
-The Podiatrist's Tale -- Wilma Shore (1977)
-The Postman's Tale -- Peter Tennant (2003)
-The Prisoner's Tale -- Thomas F. Monteleone (2000)
-The Prisoner's Tale -- Stephen Sennitt (2003)
-The Purifier's Tale -- Gregory Bernard Banks (2010)
-The Queen's Cat's Tale -- Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (1991)
-The Rat Catcher's Tale -- Richard Ford (2012)
-The Sailor's Tale --Alexander Glass (2002)
-The Scavenger's Tale -- Rachel Anderson (2000)
-The Sceptic's Tale -- Robin Miller (1966)
-The Scholar's Tale -- Reggie Oliver (2011)
-The Schoolteacher's Tale -- Sue Isle (2011)
-The Scrivener's Tale -- Fiona McIntosh (2012)
-The Selkie's Tale -- Laura J. Underwood (2000)
-The Shepherd's TaleMartin Armstrong (1934)
-The Simple Speller's Tale (Translated into English) -- H. P. Lovecraft (1915)
-The Sin-Eater's Tale -- Brennen Wysong (1997)
-The Skull's Tale -- Katharine Kerr (1993)
-The Skysailor's Tale -- Michael Swanwick (2007)
-The Specter's Tale -- Yetza Gillespie (1947)
-The Spiritualist's Tale -- James L. Ford (1894)
-The Spook's Tale -- Joseph Delaney (2009)
-The Squire's Tale -- Gerald Morris (1998)
-The Squire's Tale -- Tanith Lee (1980)
-The Stone-Weaver's Tale -- Cynthia McQuillin (1997)
-The Storyteller's Tale -- Brian Stableford (1994)
-The Stranger's Tale -- D. F. Lewis (2000)
-The Supervisor's Tale -- Ben Bova (2007)
-The Surgeon's Tale -- Jeff VanderMeer and Cat Rambo (2007)
-The Surgeon's Tale -- J. P. Dixon (1988)
-The Swan Maiden's Tale -- Sandra Kasturi (2000)
-The Swineherd's Tale -- James S. Dorr (1993)
-Tales from Jabba's Palace -- a collection including several stories subtitled as vocational tales, all set in the Star Wars universe, edited by Kevin J. Anderson Year (1996)
-Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina -- a collection including several stories subtitled as vocational tales, all set in the Star Wars universe, edited by Kevin J. Anderson (1995)-Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2 vols.) -- collection of comic strips originally appearing in Warhammer Monthly and Inferno!, each taking the form of a fantastical vocational tale told in the eponymous tavern, e.g., "The Scribe's Tale" and "The Witch Hunter's Tale" (2000-2003)
-The Terraces of Night: Being Further Chronicles of the Club of the Round Table -- collection of a dozen tales inspired by Chaucer's storytelling format, all by Margery Lawrence (1932); compare the author's earlier collection Nights of the Round Table: A Book of Strange Tales (1926), in which the borrowing was reflected in the titles more obliquely ("The Occultist's Story" vs. "The Antiquarian's Tale" in the later collection)
-The Thrall's Tale -- Judith Lindbergh (2007)
-The Traveler's Tale -- Marcie Lynn Tentchoff (2006)
-The Traveler's Tale -- Teel James Glenn (2010)
-The Traveller's Tale -- Adam Croft (2011)
-Trilobite Dreams; or, The Autodidact's Tale: A Romance of Autobiography -- Robert Reginald (2006)
-The Truth-Teller's Tale -- Sharon Shinn (2005)
-The Unicorn's Tale -- R. L. LaFevers (2012)
-The Veteran's Tale -- Stephen Dedman (2009)
-The Void Captain's Tale -- Norman Spinrad (1982)
-The Wanderer's Tale -- David Bilsborough (2007)
-The Warp-Rider's Tale -- Robert Frazier (1990)
-The Warrior's Tale -- Allan Cole and Chris Bunch (1994)
-The Wealdwife's Tale -- Paul Hazel (1993)
-The Weatherlight's Tale -- Francis Lebaron (1998)
-The Wererat's Tale -- Shane Moore (2011)
-The Werewolf's Tale -- Richard Jaccoma (1988)
-The Wheelwright's Tale -- Sean Russell Friend (1999)
-The Widower's Tale -- Davin Ireland (2008)
-The Wise Woman's Tale -- Phillipa Bowers (2007)
-The Wizard's Tale -- Michael Andrews (1993)
-The Wizard's Tale -- graphic novel by Kurt Busiek and David Wenzel (1997)
-The Wizard's Tale -- Jeremy Leigh Hayhow (2010)
-The Wolf's Tale -- Michael Montoure (2003)
-The Wood Witch's Tale -- Jill Elaine Hughes (2008)
-The Woodcutter's Tale -- Edd Doerr (1959)
-The Woodman's Tale -- Bob Dennis (1994)
-The Woozy's Tale -- Gili Bar-Hillel (1992)
-The Wordmonger's Tale -- Bruce Boston (1999)
-The Young Wife's Tale -- Sarah Shun-lien Bynum (2007)
I hope that I will be eventually able to provide annotations for all of these works that clarify extent to which each can be understood as influenced (or not) by Chaucer, but as of yet I have actually read a relatively small number of the texts. If nothing else, however, the large size of this obviously incomplete list testifies to the enduring popularity of the "vocational tale" and its titling convention, both in medievalized settings and otherwise.
If you would like to contribute a title or more to this list, please contact me as [email protected].
-The Abominable Child's Tale -- Carol Emshwiller (2010)
-The American's Tale -- Arthur Conan Doyle (1879)
-The Apothecary's Tale -- Esther M. Friesner (1986)
-The Archer's Tale -- Bernard Cornwell (2002)
-The Artificer's Tale -- John Morressy (2003)
-The Author's Tale -- L. A. Lewis (1934)
-The Bard's Tale -- Terry Dixon (1972)
-The Bard's Tale -- multimedia franchise encompassing multiple video games and novels, originating with the 1985 role-playing game The Bard's Tale, and continuing in print with the eight-part, multi-author novel series begun in Mercedes Lackey and Josepha Sherman's Castle Deception (1992)
-The Blacksmith's Tale -- Spider Robinson (1985)
-The Bone-Carver's Tale -- Jeff VanderMeer (1995)
-Canterbury 2100: Pilgrimages in a New World -- a Neo-Chaucerian anthology edited by Dirk Flinthart (2009), containing:
-The Carbon-Knitter's Tale -- Rita de Heer
-The Census-Taker's Tale -- Kaaron Warren
-The Conductor's Tale -- Lyn Battersby
-The Dead Priest's Tale -- Martin Livings
-The Doctor's Tale -- Ben Bastian
-The Evangelist's Tale -- L. L. Hannett
-The Gnomologist's Tale -- Matthew Chrulew
-The Hunter's Tale -- Grant Watson
-The Janus' Tale -- Penelope Love
-The Lighterman's Tale -- Trent Jamieson
-The Mathematician's Tale -- Durand Welsh
-The Metawhore's Tale -- Lee Battersby
-The Miner's Tale -- Laura E. Goodin
-The Nun's Tale -- Angela Slatte
-The Peat-Digger's Tale -- Thoraiya Dyer
-The Sky-Chief's Tale -- Sue Isle
-The Tingler's Tale -- Geoffrey Maloney
-The Veteran's Tale -- Stephen Dedman
-The Canvasser's Tale -- Mark Twain (1876)
-The Changeling's Tale -- Michael Swanwick (1994)
-The Child's Tale -- Carole Nomarhas (2000)
-The Companion's Tale -- Darrell Schweitzer (2005)
-The Deacon's Tale -- Arinn Dembo (2011)
-The Dead Man's Tale -- Willard Hawkins (1923)
-The Dead Slaver's Tale -- Robert E. Howard (1974)
-The Diviner's Tale -- Bradford Morrow (2011)
-The Doctor's Tale -- Darrell Schweitzer (1981)
-The Dolt's Tale -- Elizabeth Bowen (1965)
-The Dragon's Tale -- Tamora Pierce (2009)
-The Dream Pirate's Tale -- Kent Brewster (1993)
-The Drifter's Tale -- Hal Duncan (2007)
-The Dungeonmaster's Tale -- Kristine K. Thompson (1986)
-The Elder Daughter's Tale -- Tracina Jackson-Adams (2003)
-The English Gentleman's Tale: The Gold Bride -- Christina Stead (1934)
-The Exile's Tale -- Susan Palmer (2000)
-The Fire-eater's Tale -- Jack Dann and Janeen Webb (2000)
-The Fool's Tale -- L. Timmel Duchamp (2002)
-The Ghatti's Tale -- title for series of novels by Gayle Greeno beginning with Finders-Seekers (1993)
-The Ghoul's Tale -- Robert M. Price (2008)
-The Gravedigger's Tale -- Simon Clark (1989)
-The Green Captain's Tale -- Terry Dowling (1993)
-The Guardener's Tale -- Bruce Boston (2007)
-The Handmaid's Tale -- Margaret Atwood (1985)
-The Handyman's Tale -- Constance Miller and Crystal Daniels (1997)
-The Hiker's Tale -- Mike Allen (2007)
-The Hunter's Tale -- Laura J. Underwood (1999)
-The Hunter's Tale -- Grant Watson (2009)
-The Jester's Tale -- Esther M. Friesner (1985)
-The Kiowa's Tale -- Robert E. Howard (1976, posth.)
-The Knight's Tale -- C. E. Murphy (2012)
-The Lamia's Tale -- Laura J. Mixon (1993)
-The Lighterman's Tale -- Trent Jamieson (2009)
-The Linnet's Tale -- Dale C. Willard (2002)
-The Lobbyist's Tale -- Bruce Holland Rogers (2000)
-The Long Porter's Tale -- Lord Dunsany (1914)
-The Major's Tale -- Ambrose Bierce (1890)
-The Manticore's Tale -- Catherynne M. Valente (2007)
-The Martyr's Tale -- Craig Saunders (2012)
-The Master Miller's Tale -- Ian R. MacLeod (2007)
-The Mathematician's Tale -- Durand Welsh (2009)
-The Mermaid's Tale -- Elizabeth Cunningham (1993)
-The Messenger's Tale -- Ken Liu (2012)
-The Minstrel's Tale -- Tanith Lee (1988)
-The Minstrel's Tale -- Joan Horn (1988)
-The Money Splicer's Tale -- Bruce Boston (2007)
-The Monk's Tale -- Esther M. Friesner (1985)
-The Mummer's Tale -- Samuel R. Delany (1985)
-The Navigator's Tale -- Ian Watson (2005)
-The Necromancer's Tale -- Peter Tennant (2001)
-A Neo-Canterbury Tale: The Hog Drover's Tale -- James S. Dorr (1986)
-The Neuter's Tale -- Martha A. Hood (1993)
-The Nightmare's Tale -- Tanith Lee (1990)
-The Nixon Wrangler's Tale -- Thomas Marcinko (1999)
-The Nova Europa Fantasy Saga -- Robert Reginald [Michael Roy Burgess]
-The Cracks in the Æther: The Hypatomancer's Tale, Book One (2011)
-The Dark-Haired Man, or, The Hieromonk's Tale: A Romance of Nova Europe (2004)
-The Exiled Prince, or, The Archquisitor's Tale: A Romance of Nova Europa (2004)
-Quæstiones, or, The Protopresbyter's Tale: A Romance of Nova Europa (2004)
-The Old Retainer's Tale -- Darrell Schweitzer (2002)
-The Pardoner's Tale -- Robert Silverberg (1987)
-The Pardoner's Tale -- Jackie Cassada (1994)
-The Persecutor's Tale -- John M. Ford (1982)
-The Photographer's Tale -- Daniel Mills (2011)
-The Physician's Tale -- Ann Benson (2006)
-The Piper's Tale -- Laura J. Underwood (1998)
-The Podiatrist's Tale -- Wilma Shore (1977)
-The Postman's Tale -- Peter Tennant (2003)
-The Prisoner's Tale -- Thomas F. Monteleone (2000)
-The Prisoner's Tale -- Stephen Sennitt (2003)
-The Purifier's Tale -- Gregory Bernard Banks (2010)
-The Queen's Cat's Tale -- Elizabeth Ann Scarborough (1991)
-The Rat Catcher's Tale -- Richard Ford (2012)
-The Sailor's Tale --Alexander Glass (2002)
-The Scavenger's Tale -- Rachel Anderson (2000)
-The Sceptic's Tale -- Robin Miller (1966)
-The Scholar's Tale -- Reggie Oliver (2011)
-The Schoolteacher's Tale -- Sue Isle (2011)
-The Scrivener's Tale -- Fiona McIntosh (2012)
-The Selkie's Tale -- Laura J. Underwood (2000)
-The Shepherd's TaleMartin Armstrong (1934)
-The Simple Speller's Tale (Translated into English) -- H. P. Lovecraft (1915)
-The Sin-Eater's Tale -- Brennen Wysong (1997)
-The Skull's Tale -- Katharine Kerr (1993)
-The Skysailor's Tale -- Michael Swanwick (2007)
-The Specter's Tale -- Yetza Gillespie (1947)
-The Spiritualist's Tale -- James L. Ford (1894)
-The Spook's Tale -- Joseph Delaney (2009)
-The Squire's Tale -- Gerald Morris (1998)
-The Squire's Tale -- Tanith Lee (1980)
-The Stone-Weaver's Tale -- Cynthia McQuillin (1997)
-The Storyteller's Tale -- Brian Stableford (1994)
-The Stranger's Tale -- D. F. Lewis (2000)
-The Supervisor's Tale -- Ben Bova (2007)
-The Surgeon's Tale -- Jeff VanderMeer and Cat Rambo (2007)
-The Surgeon's Tale -- J. P. Dixon (1988)
-The Swan Maiden's Tale -- Sandra Kasturi (2000)
-The Swineherd's Tale -- James S. Dorr (1993)
-Tales from Jabba's Palace -- a collection including several stories subtitled as vocational tales, all set in the Star Wars universe, edited by Kevin J. Anderson Year (1996)
-Tales from the Mos Eisley Cantina -- a collection including several stories subtitled as vocational tales, all set in the Star Wars universe, edited by Kevin J. Anderson (1995)-Tales from the Ten-Tailed Cat (2 vols.) -- collection of comic strips originally appearing in Warhammer Monthly and Inferno!, each taking the form of a fantastical vocational tale told in the eponymous tavern, e.g., "The Scribe's Tale" and "The Witch Hunter's Tale" (2000-2003)
-The Terraces of Night: Being Further Chronicles of the Club of the Round Table -- collection of a dozen tales inspired by Chaucer's storytelling format, all by Margery Lawrence (1932); compare the author's earlier collection Nights of the Round Table: A Book of Strange Tales (1926), in which the borrowing was reflected in the titles more obliquely ("The Occultist's Story" vs. "The Antiquarian's Tale" in the later collection)
-The Thrall's Tale -- Judith Lindbergh (2007)
-The Traveler's Tale -- Marcie Lynn Tentchoff (2006)
-The Traveler's Tale -- Teel James Glenn (2010)
-The Traveller's Tale -- Adam Croft (2011)
-Trilobite Dreams; or, The Autodidact's Tale: A Romance of Autobiography -- Robert Reginald (2006)
-The Truth-Teller's Tale -- Sharon Shinn (2005)
-The Unicorn's Tale -- R. L. LaFevers (2012)
-The Veteran's Tale -- Stephen Dedman (2009)
-The Void Captain's Tale -- Norman Spinrad (1982)
-The Wanderer's Tale -- David Bilsborough (2007)
-The Warp-Rider's Tale -- Robert Frazier (1990)
-The Warrior's Tale -- Allan Cole and Chris Bunch (1994)
-The Wealdwife's Tale -- Paul Hazel (1993)
-The Weatherlight's Tale -- Francis Lebaron (1998)
-The Wererat's Tale -- Shane Moore (2011)
-The Werewolf's Tale -- Richard Jaccoma (1988)
-The Wheelwright's Tale -- Sean Russell Friend (1999)
-The Widower's Tale -- Davin Ireland (2008)
-The Wise Woman's Tale -- Phillipa Bowers (2007)
-The Wizard's Tale -- Michael Andrews (1993)
-The Wizard's Tale -- graphic novel by Kurt Busiek and David Wenzel (1997)
-The Wizard's Tale -- Jeremy Leigh Hayhow (2010)
-The Wolf's Tale -- Michael Montoure (2003)
-The Wood Witch's Tale -- Jill Elaine Hughes (2008)
-The Woodcutter's Tale -- Edd Doerr (1959)
-The Woodman's Tale -- Bob Dennis (1994)
-The Woozy's Tale -- Gili Bar-Hillel (1992)
-The Wordmonger's Tale -- Bruce Boston (1999)
-The Young Wife's Tale -- Sarah Shun-lien Bynum (2007)
