What are three reasons The Canterbury Tales were and are important?

First, The Canterbury Tales are the most extensive example of Middle English literature in existence. At the time Chaucer wrote the tales, most literature in Britain was written in French. This was during the Norman period in English history, when Norman French was the language of government and most of the nobility. The Canterbury Tales are important because they give us an example of literature in Middle English. Further, they also give us an extensive and varied text that has allowed modern scholars to learn more about the English of that period, as well as how it changed over the next several decades following the writing of The Canterbury Tales.  

Second, that The Canterbury Tales were written in Middle English was important politically. Chaucer, who was capable of writing in French, chose to write in Middle English as his way of supporting a growing movement to make Middle English the language of government. This movement was driven primarily by the desire of the English, even those of Norman descent, to separate themselves from the French, with whom they were at war.

Third, The Canterbury Tales served as a social commentary on the nature of the nobility and the church in Norman England. At the time, the views Chaucer expressed through his characters and stories were controversial enough that he recanted them before he died. However, this does not diminish the value of their social commentary during Chaucer’s time. Further, his daring in writing about the issues of his society gives modern readers an un-romanticized look at Medieval English society.