Nottingham University has faced backlash after issuing a trigger warning for Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, with critics accusing the institution of overreacting by flagging “expressions of Christian faith” in the text. The warning has drawn widespread criticism, particularly from scholars who argue that religion is central to understanding medieval literature.
The warning was part of the university’s Chaucer and His Contemporaries module and highlighted themes like violence, mental illness, and religion. However, critics are puzzled as to why the university felt the need to caution students about Christianity in a work focused on a Christian pilgrimage.
Chaucer’s tales, written in the 14th century, explore a range of themes through the stories told by pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury Cathedral. Characters like the Wife of Bath and the miller share stories filled with sexual and anti-Semitic content, but the university’s trigger warning instead focused on the religious aspects of the text.
Frank Furedi, a sociology professor, said that the warning about Christianity was “weird,” given that Christianity was central to medieval life. He argued that the university’s decision reflects an attempt to “signal virtue” rather than properly teach students the historical context of the text.
In response to the criticism, Nottingham University stated that the trigger warnings were designed to foster a more inclusive environment for students. The university suggested that even practicing Christians might find some of the medieval worldview “alienating and strange.”
Nevertheless, many believe the trigger warning undermines academic rigor. Historian Jeremy Black said the decision “demeaned” education and was more about satisfying modern “tick-box” criteria than fostering a deep understanding of classic literature.