Acclaimed for centuries as the "Father of English Literature," Geoffrey Chaucer rightfully enjoys widespread and effusive praise for his classic Canterbury Tales. However, by analyzing his various missteps, missed opportunities, and other blunders, Bad Chaucer; The Great Poet's Greatest Mistakes in the Canterbury Tales reveals that even the greatest authors cannot claim perfection. From a vexing catalog of trees in the Knights Tale to the flirtations with blasphemy in the Parsons Tale, this volume progresses through the Canterbury Tales story by story, tale by tale, pondering the most egregious failing of each in turn. Viewed collectively, Chaucer's troubles stem from clashing genres that disrupt interpretive clarity, themeless themes that undermine any message a tale might convey, mischaracterized characters who act without clear motivation, purposeful and otherwise pleasureful badness that show Chaucer's appreciation for the humor of bad literature, and outmoded perspectives that threaten to alienate modern readers. Badness can be celebrated, for badness infuses artistic creations with the vitality that springs from varied responses, spirited engagements, and the inherent volatility of enjoying literature. On the whole, Bad Chaucer swerves literary criticism in a new direction by examining the long overlooked question of what Chaucer got wrong.