and her brothers will commit incest, as happens in John Gower's version of the story. However, it is unlikely that Chaucer intended to finish the tale. Instead the Franklin breaks into the beginning of the third section with elaborate praise of the Squire's gentility—the Franklin being something of a social climber—and proceeds to his own tale. Criticism and continuations Early critics were admiring of the Squire's tale. John Milton was convinced that Chaucer had intended to conclude it. Authors of the Elizabethan period, including Edmund Spenser, used characters from the tale in their own works; some, like John Lane, wrote complete continuations of it. In general, modern critics have not paid it much attention, and consider it Chaucer's way of poking gentle fun at the young Squire's love of romance literature, which frequently contains somewhat pretentious digressions, and his lack of narrative self-control. Compared to the tale told by his father, the Knight, which is formal, serious, and complete, the rambling and fantastical story shows the Squire's inexperience. Some critics see the gifts as symbolic of the powers of poetry, which the Squire is still learning to use. There is no clear source for the story, which is a collection of ideas and themes from many romances, as befits the Squire, a lover of such literature. The extravagant details on Eastern kingdoms come from the travel literature of the time, such as Giovanni da Pian del Carpini, Simon of St Quentin and John Mandeville. The episode of the falcon and the tercelet is similar to part of Anelida and Arcite, an early work of Chaucer's. Notes and references External links Modern Translation of the Squire's Tale and Other Resources at eChaucer "The Square's Tale" – a plain-English retelling for non-scholars. The Canterbury Tales Genghis Khan