The canterbury tales, a precursor to the novel, is

The Canterbury Tales, a precursor to the novel, is a collection of stories.

The Canterbury Tales refers to a collection of 24 stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English written by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400.

The tales, which were mostly written in verse and some are in prose, are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together from London to Canterbury to visit the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. The prize for this contest is a free meal at the Tabard Inn at Southwark on their return.

the answer is not b, and i don't think its a, so i choose either man's identity is found within the traditions of his ancestors   or language is a powerful tool, tell me if i was wrong or right by the way