The Canterbury Tales edition by Geoffrey Chaucer Literature Fiction eBooks
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The Canterbury Tales (Middle English Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of over 20 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer at the end of the 14th century, during the time of the Hundred Years' War. The tales (mostly written in verse, although some are in prose) are presented as part of a story-telling contest by a group of pilgrims as they travel together on a journey from Southwark to 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. After a long list of works written earlier in his career, including Troilus and Criseyde, House of Fame, and "Parliament of Fowls", The Canterbury Tales is near-unanimously seen as Chaucer's magnum opus. He uses the tales and the descriptions of its characters to paint an ironic and critical portrait of English society at the time, and particularly of the Church. Structurally, the collection resembles The Decameron, which Chaucer may have read during his first diplomatic mission to Italy in 1372. It is sometimes argued that the greatest contribution The Canterbury Tales made to English literature was in popularising the literary use of vernacular, English, rather than French or Latin. English had, however, been used as a literary language centuries before Chaucer's time, and several of Chaucer's contemporaries—John Gower, William Langland, the Pearl Poet, and Julian of Norwich—also wrote major literary works in English. It is unclear to what extent Chaucer was responsible for starting a trend as opposed to simply being part of it. While Chaucer clearly states the addressees of many of his poems, the intended audience of The Canterbury Tales is more difficult to determine. Chaucer was a courtier, leading some to believe that he was mainly a court poet who wrote exclusively for nobility.
The Canterbury Tales edition by Geoffrey Chaucer Literature Fiction eBooks
The OBG Classics edition published September 11, 2017, claims to be "the new translation." But IF it is somehow new -- and, by the way, no translator is identified -- what exactly has been translated? What is new about it? It is still written in the difficult-to-understand Middle English Chaucer used, and apart from spelling (or misspelling?) "his" as "hise" in line-1 [see NOTE at end] and throwing in some extra commas, this is pretty much the standard version. It is handsomely formatted and has an active TOC, but no introduction, no clarifications of archaic words, nothing but the seemingly original Middle English text. Calling itself "the new translation" strongly suggests this has been translated into easier-to-understand Modern English, but such is not the case here. Chaucer certainly rates 5-stars, but I have deducted one for the misrepresentation.FYI: An excellent Modern English version will be found in the Kindle Store for $.99 by A. S. Kline.
NOTE: The first line normally reads: "Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote...." The words "shoures" and "soote" are each two syllables in Middle English pronunciation; thus the entire line rightly has the number of accented syllables Chaucer intended. If "his" (a one-syllable word) were improperly changed to "hise" (turning it into a two-syllable word, pronounced his-uh) -- as is done here -- that adds an unintended and, therefore, unacceptable extra syllable. I have to assume this is merely a typo; but how many other such errors are contained herein?
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The Canterbury Tales edition by Geoffrey Chaucer Literature Fiction eBooks Reviews
Here is a brief synopsis.
At the Tabard Inn, a tavern in Southwark, near London, the narrator joins a company of twenty-nine pilgrims. The pilgrims, like the narrator, are traveling to the shrine of the martyr Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The narrator gives a descriptive account of twenty-seven of these pilgrims, including a Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Merchant, Clerk, Man of Law, Franklin, Haberdasher, Carpenter, Weaver, Dyer, Tapestry-Weaver, Cook, Shipman, Physician, Wife, Parson, Plowman, Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner, and Host. (He does not describe the Second Nun or the Nun’s Priest, although both characters appear later in the book.) The Host, whose name, we find out in the Prologue to the Cook’s Tale, is Harry Bailey, suggests that the group ride together and entertain one another with stories. He decides that each pilgrim will tell two stories on the way to Canterbury and two on the way back. Whomever he judges to be the best storyteller will receive a meal at Bailey’s tavern, courtesy of the other pilgrims.
I won't go into detail about all the tales that are told except to say that I found them witty, entertaining, and thoughtful.
Let's get this clear at the start This is a review of Jill Mann's edition of the Canterbury Tales in its version. (It's a shame that can't distinguish between different editions of the classics when posting reviews! -- hint!) About the Tales themselves, I'll say only that they are both a classic and a blast, and if you can handle the Middle English, you have to read them in that language. Jill Mann's editorial work is smart and thorough, too. The print edition is a bargain at the price -- again, if you're OK reading Middle English. The edition, though was a little clumsy to use -- though, to be fair, I don't see how all the glosses and notes could have been presented better in a e-book. Wait, yes I can. The glosses on individual words and expressions are easy to find; the more extensive notes, which are very valuable, are not. It shouldn't have been hard to add a marginal symbol to reference a Note. Hence it's only four stars, not five. But it may well be the best e-book version on the market.
If you are going to read The Canterbury Tales, this is the way to go. The Middle-English may seem intimidating at first, but it is easier than one might think to sound out and understand. Of course, the annotation helps quite a bit too. These tales and their frame perfectly capture medieval life with it's lively characters and various settings. Ranging from poetic diversions, to dramatic, to adventures, all the the way to gruesome fables, and plenty of very funny (and memorable) bawdy humor. This earthy group of classic stories has something for everyone. The modern translation is also worth having as a companion, but this fine paperback is the one for authenticity.
The OBG Classics edition published September 11, 2017, claims to be "the new translation." But IF it is somehow new -- and, by the way, no translator is identified -- what exactly has been translated? What is new about it? It is still written in the difficult-to-understand Middle English Chaucer used, and apart from spelling (or misspelling?) "his" as "hise" in line-1 [see NOTE at end] and throwing in some extra commas, this is pretty much the standard version. It is handsomely formatted and has an active TOC, but no introduction, no clarifications of archaic words, nothing but the seemingly original Middle English text. Calling itself "the new translation" strongly suggests this has been translated into easier-to-understand Modern English, but such is not the case here. Chaucer certainly rates 5-stars, but I have deducted one for the misrepresentation.
FYI An excellent Modern English version will be found in the for $.99 by A. S. Kline.
NOTE The first line normally reads "Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote...." The words "shoures" and "soote" are each two syllables in Middle English pronunciation; thus the entire line rightly has the number of accented syllables Chaucer intended. If "his" (a one-syllable word) were improperly changed to "hise" (turning it into a two-syllable word, pronounced his-uh) -- as is done here -- that adds an unintended and, therefore, unacceptable extra syllable. I have to assume this is merely a typo; but how many other such errors are contained herein?
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