Nottingham University has sparked controversy after issuing a trigger warning for Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales because the text includes “expressions of Christian faith.” The university has faced backlash from critics who argue that such a warning is unnecessary for a medieval work that naturally revolves around religious themes.
The warning was issued as part of a module titled Chaucer and His Contemporaries and alerts students to themes like violence, mental illness, and Christian faith. Many are questioning why Christian references, which are essential to the cultural context of the time, need to be flagged in a work about a Christian pilgrimage.
The Canterbury Tales, written between 1387 and 1400, tells the story of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The tales feature characters like the Wife of Bath and the miller, whose stories contain themes of lust and anti-Semitism, yet the university chose to focus its warning on the religious aspects.
Frank Furedi, a professor at the University of Kent, expressed surprise at the decision, calling it “strange” to issue a warning about Christian faith in a medieval work. He suggested that the move is more about modern academic trends than addressing real student concerns.
Nottingham University defended the decision, stating that the warnings are intended to be inclusive of students from different faith backgrounds. The university said that even Christian students might find the medieval worldview “strange” or “alienating.”
Many scholars, however, believe the trigger warning diminishes the academic value of studying historical texts. Historian Jeremy Black argued that such warnings are part of a “tick-box” mentality that prioritizes modern sensitivities over engaging critically with the past.
