Nottingham University is under fire for placing a trigger warning on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, citing “expressions of Christian faith” among its flagged themes. Critics argue that such warnings are unnecessary, especially for a text that is deeply intertwined with the Christian traditions of the medieval period.
The trigger warning was issued as part of the Chaucer and His Contemporaries module and alerts students to themes including religion, violence, and mental illness. Many are surprised that a university would feel the need to warn students about Christian content in a work that revolves around a religious pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral.
The tales, written between 1387 and 1400, follow characters like the Wife of Bath and the miller on their journey to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. While the text includes controversial themes like sexual misconduct and anti-Semitism, the university’s warning highlights the religious elements, which critics argue are to be expected in a work of this time period.
Frank Furedi, an academic critic, said the university’s decision to focus on “expressions of Christian faith” in a medieval text is strange, as these elements are essential to understanding the work’s cultural and historical context. He believes that the warning is more about “virtue-signaling” than genuine concern for student welfare.
The university defended its decision, stating that it promotes inclusivity by acknowledging the different backgrounds of students. A university representative suggested that even Christian students might find some of the medieval beliefs portrayed in the text alienating.
Despite the university’s defense, many view the decision as a step backward for education.
Historian Jeremy Black criticized the move, arguing that universities are increasingly making academic decisions based on “tick-box” criteria rather than focusing on genuine learning.
