What genre does "The Canterbury Tales" fall under?

"The Canterbury Tales" is classified as poetry primarily due to its structure and form. The work is composed of a series of narrative poems, each one told by a different character as part of a storytelling contest among a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury. These narratives incorporate various poetic elements, including rhyme and meter, characteristic of the medieval literary tradition.

While it contains stories similar to those found in prose or short story formats, the prominent use of verse categorizes it firmly within the realm of poetry. The other genres listed do not accurately represent the framework and stylistic features that define "The Canterbury Tales." Drama would involve performance elements that are not pertinent here, prose fiction typically lacks the rhythmic and patterned structure found in the work, and while it does include stories, classifying it solely as a collection of short stories overlooks its poetic nature.