I read this in the 8th grade, and I didn't think it was funny. Now that I can understand it, it is "humorous" in a very crude way. Of course, one could say that of the Comedy Channel also.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summoner%27s_Tale
what is funny about the summoner's tale
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The key to the "humor" is in satire. The Summoners Tale is a reply to the Friar's Tale. Both are corrupt and both are accusing one another of corruption. There is a lot of satire in Chaucer's Tales.
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