A Canterbury Tale, by FreeThinker

[PeterSJC]

I enjoyed [re-]reading the first chapter, which seems pretty similar to the one from a few years ago. I assume there will be revisions in other parts of this collection of stories and would be interested in anything FreeThinker would like to share about what those are.

[Rutabaga]

The story is new to me and I am intrigued. 
 

R

[Cole Parker]

It's a wonderful story; he's a wonderful writer.  You'll be delighted, R.

C

 

[Ivor Slipper]

4 hours ago, PeterSJC said:

I enjoyed [re-]reading the first chapter, which seems pretty similar to the one from a few years ago. I assume there will be revisions in other parts of this collection of stories and would be interested in anything FreeThinker would like to share about what those are.

The way I read Dude's post under 'New for 2021', there will not be any revisions to the story. He is simply reposting excellent stories from the past exactly as they first appeared.

I do recall reading this one and will definitely enjoy reading it again.

[dude]

For the record, I understand that the four parts of A Canterbury Tale, The Refugee's Tale (6 chapters), The Acolytes's Tale, (6 chapters ), The Poet's Tale (5 chapters) and The Outsider's Tale (5 chapters) have been-re-edited.  To what extent, I'm not sure.

A Canterbury Tale is just the first of a number of fine stories by excellent authors to be re-serialized this year.

I hope you enjoy the effort.

Mike

[Merkin]

A Canterbury Tale is a great choice to kick-off this new series, Mike.  Free Thinker was among a handful of other excellent writers who introduced me to the possibility that there could be quality gay fiction published online, and I am so pleased that he is willing to revisit for us what was already a wonderful story,
 

[Rutabaga]

I hope there isn't some kind of technical problem with chapter 4.

R

[Rutabaga]

And the audience whistles and cheers at the end of chapter 4. 

R

[Cole Parker]

All the way through, in fact.

C

[Rutabaga]

And so it ends . . .

I am quite certain I must have read this story a long time ago, because certain elements seem familiar, but it was new enough this time to be worth re-reading.  Glad it's making a comeback.

R

[FreeThinker]

Thank you for all the kind remarks! I am grateful to my editor for all the work he did and to Mike and John for the reformatting. I first wrote this story in 2002 (can it have been 19 years?) and it was the first story I posted to Awesome Dude in 2004 or 5. Thank you for reading it and for your compliments.

[Alien Son]

On 1/17/2021 at 10:42 AM, FreeThinker said:

Thank you for all the kind remarks! I am grateful to my editor for all the work he did and to Mike and John for the reformatting. I first wrote this story in 2002 (can it have been 19 years?) and it was the first story I posted to Awesome Dude in 2004 or 5. Thank you for reading it and for your compliments.

The reformatting was all Mike's work. I can't claim any credit for that, but thanks for including me!

[Rutabaga]

"Acolyte" is another fine tale . . . waiting for more.

R

[Cole Parker]

 

This is such a great story.  All the tales are just about perfect.  I've read them several times, and every time they impress.  What wonderful, soulful writing.  The Acolyte is now done, and I hate to leave these guys.  The only solace is that there's more to come.

[Rutabaga]

Things have gotten really dark with "A Poet's Tale."  It's hard for me to imagine anything more revolting than a parent sexually molesting his own child.  

R

[Talo Segura]

Incest taboos are often said to be universal – and sex with a close relative (one’s parent, child, or sibling) is widely considered particularly depraved. And yet incest also seems to be everywhere: think Game of Thrones, Brookside, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale. It is also a trope in gothic horror.

Whether familial sexual relationships are indeed considered to be incestuous (that is, illegal, even criminal) or not depends on the social and cultural context. Moreover, attitudes to incest tend to be gendered and heteronormative.

There is also the story of Lot’s daughters in Genesis 19, seducing their father and bearing sons, which offers no (certainly no explicit) reproof. The daughters even draw attention to incest by calling their sons “Moab” (Hebrew for “from the father”).

Extracts from The Conversation 

The greatest taboo? The surprising truth of what The Bible says about incest.

https://theconversation.com/the-greatest-taboo-the-surprising-truth-of-what-the-bible-says-about-incest-57693

 

[Rutabaga]

The issue is that it is rape, forced sex against the will of the victim who is a vulnerable child.

R  

[Talo Segura]

I read the two chapters and was pleasantly surprised about how well written the story was. Regarding the sexual relationship with his father which appears to have been going on for sometime, but since when, at what age all this started, that is unclear. I thought the author explored the situation in a realistic way without sensationalism or graphic exploitation. If I were to make any critical comment, it would be only that the father is somewhat undefined as a character. He has a few personality traits that do nothing to endear him (ignoring for a moment what is going on in the bedroom), and is a little two dimensional. That said, the story is told from the boy's perspective, it is all about his struggle, how he is controlled and manipulated, made to feel guilty because he "enjoys," responds. It is the typical reaction of a child who is being abused. They see themselves as the guilty person, they blame themselves, everything is turned inwards and the self-hate and anger manifests in the outside world as, for example, the unconscious rage and fight when being hindered from going home on his bicycle. Yes, it is a little dark, but as real life drama goes, it's done very well. Sexual predators are commonly family members, fathers, uncles, brothers, cousins, which makes this very believable and abhorrent because as you say, there is nothing consensual in this relationship.

[JamesSavik]

Freethiinker’s work is a cut above. Lot’s of stories you forget but Ft’s you won’t. The story craft and writing is top shelf but his settings and textures are addictive. He’s in the same league as Driver or Dewey and, that’s high praise coming from me.

[FreeThinker]

Thank you everyone for the kind remarks. I can't believe it's been almost twenty years since I wrote Canterbury. I miss that period and I miss the writing. I wish I still had the fire in the belly. Your kind remarks make me feel good.

[Talo Segura]

9 hours ago, FreeThinker said:

I miss that period

Tell me it's the seventies, right? I'm reading The Poet's Tale, The Doobie Brothers, Emerson Lake and Palmer, A Clockwork Orange wall poster, smoking a bong. That is so freaking great. Love the story, love chapter three, very hot! What a great idea to revisit old stories and allow me to discover such great writing and a whole other epoch brought to life so vividly.

[Rutabaga]

Anyone still want to rationalize the father's treatment of Jamie?

R

[Talo Segura]

The short story is not real, it is fiction, a fantasy contrived to entertain and excite emotions, it is not a very plausible scenario and the idea that these stories somehow evoke actual life needs debunking. In a recent article by Comicality he explains the nature of his own writing from almost two decades ago: "I've discovered while writing my own stories over the years, is the 'lacking' presence of added depth when I only have one situation going on from beginning to end... when I'm focused on two boys and one issue, the theme of the story itself feels really basic and seems to fall 'flat' to me sometimes... I like to build a story that feels a bit more full when it comes to the plot that I put together." The whole article can be read here: https://gayauthors.org/blogs/entry/19194-sub-plots/?tab=comments#comment-71140

This story is well written, on that point there is no doubt. An emotional tale of abuse and deliverance the story hits the reader full blast with the crushing life drama. That said it is very much fiction and in no way more than that. A sixteen year old is raped by his father after several years of abuse. The father goes to church, comes home, watches a game on TV, gets drunk and sodomises his son because he stayed out all night.  The mother ignores everything and goes to her sister. A few weeks later, the boy, rescued from suicide is in bed with his now boyfriend saying "fuck me, fuck me!" Mother and son are reconciled. The prejudiced fat policeman is put in his place by the liberal therapist and doctor, "this is 1975," they tell him. The boy is surrounded by his gay friends and all the accepting parents. I think that says this is fiction.

The mixed messages which can be read here are to interpret the fiction as real, it isn't, it's the author's fantasy. Like all fiction it may have some elements from real life, but the abuse and rape are pure fiction and that is evident by the graphic sex scenes these genre of stories have in common. It's for entertainment and expunging the author's fantasies. Well written entertainment from which one ought not to draw parallels with real life.

 

 

[Rutabaga]

On 2/16/2021 at 10:59 PM, FreeThinker said:

I can't believe it's been almost twenty years since I wrote Canterbury. I miss that period and I miss the writing. I wish I still had the fire in the belly.

I am familiar with the kind of emotional toll it takes on a writer to create these kinds of stories.  Everyone here is grateful that you did so in the past, and shared it here.  Of course, if you decide to pick up your pen (keyboard) again people would be very happy indeed!

R  

[Cole Parker]

Here, here!

(Or should that be hear, hear?)