Nottingham University in England has put a trigger warning on several famous works of medieval English literature, including “The Canterbury Tales,” by Geoffrey Chaucer, which tells the story of people on a religious pilgrimage from London to Canterbury Cathedral.

According to the Mail, which had made a Freedom of Information request about the trigger warning, the school alerts students to incidences of violence, mental illness and “expressions of Christian faith” in the works of Chaucer and other writers of his time.

Other works covered by the university’s warning include “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” which is filled with Christian themes; and “Piers Plowman,” which deals with how to live an authentic Christian life.

News of the university’s trigger warning has sparked widespread criticism from both secular and Christian observers. Some pointed out that “The Canterbury Tales” includes stories of promiscuity, drunkenness, rape and antisemitism, but instead of warning students about such content, the university chose to single out Christian faith.

“Presumably, this Nottingham nonsense is a product of the need to validate courses in accordance with tick-box criteria,” historian Jeremy Black told the Mail. “It is simultaneously sad, funny, a perversion of intellectual life and a demeaning of education.”

Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern, commented in a press release: “The Bible is foundational to understanding the history of English literature. Without an understanding of the Christian faith there will be no way for students to access the world of Chaucer and his contemporaries. It’s ludicrous to issue such trigger warnings.

“Our universities should allow students who have chosen to study some of the greatest works in English literature the freedom of academic thought to make up their own minds rather than planting loaded warnings about the Christian faith.”

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