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Bard of the Middle Ages: The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer
About the Course:
Had Geoffrey Chaucer not written, or not written so well, the last 600 years of English literature would have been decidedly different. His creative style and use of language served as one of the primary foundations on which later writers built. Through his writing, Chaucer's wit, charm, and eloquence give us a deeper understanding of not only the time in which he lived, but of how human emotion, fraility, and fortitude are the base elements of human existence. There are 14 lectures on 7 tapes with a manual included which are:
Lecture 1- Chaucer's Life, times, and importance
Lecture 2- Language, style, and literary background
Lecture 3- The Book of the Duchess, the Romance of the Rose, and the Minor Poems
Lecture 4- The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, The Parliament of Fowls, and Beothius
Lecture 5- Troilus and Criseyde, Books I-II
Lecture 6- Troilus and Criseyde, Books III-V
Lecture 7 The Legend of Good Women
Lecture 8- The Canterbury Tales : "The General Prologue"
Lecture 9- The Canterbury Tales: "The Knights Tale" "The Miller's Tale" "The Reeve's Tale" and "The Cook's Tale"
Lecture 10- The Canterbury Tales: "The Tales of Law's Tale" "The Wife of Bath's Tale" "The Friar's Tale" and "The Summoner's Tale
Lecture 11- The Canterbury Tales: "The Clerks Tale" "The Merchant's Tale" "The Squire's Tale" and "The Franklin's Tale"
Lecture 12- The Canterbury Tales: "The Physician's Tale" "The Pardoner's Tale" "The Shipman's Tale" and "The Prioress's Tale"
Lecture 13- The Canterbury Tales: "Sir Thopas" The Tale of Melibee" "The Monk's Tale" "The Nun's Priest's Tale" and "The Second Nun's Tale"
Lecture 14- The Canterbury Tales: "The Canon's Yeoman's Tale" "TheManciple's Tale" The Retraction" and Our conclusions
Had Geoffrey Chaucer not written, or not written so well, the last 600 years of English literature would have been decidedly different. His creative style and use of language served as one of the primary foundations on which later writers built. Through his writing, Chaucer's wit, charm, and eloquence give us a deeper understanding of not only the time in which he lived, but of how human emotion, fraility, and fortitude are the base elements of human existence. There are 14 lectures on 7 tapes with a manual included which are:
Lecture 1- Chaucer's Life, times, and importance
Lecture 2- Language, style, and literary background
Lecture 3- The Book of the Duchess, the Romance of the Rose, and the Minor Poems
Lecture 4- The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, The Parliament of Fowls, and Beothius
Lecture 5- Troilus and Criseyde, Books I-II
Lecture 6- Troilus and Criseyde, Books III-V
Lecture 7 The Legend of Good Women
Lecture 8- The Canterbury Tales : "The General Prologue"
Lecture 9- The Canterbury Tales: "The Knights Tale" "The Miller's Tale" "The Reeve's Tale" and "The Cook's Tale"
Lecture 10- The Canterbury Tales: "The Tales of Law's Tale" "The Wife of Bath's Tale" "The Friar's Tale" and "The Summoner's Tale
Lecture 11- The Canterbury Tales: "The Clerks Tale" "The Merchant's Tale" "The Squire's Tale" and "The Franklin's Tale"
Lecture 12- The Canterbury Tales: "The Physician's Tale" "The Pardoner's Tale" "The Shipman's Tale" and "The Prioress's Tale"
Lecture 13- The Canterbury Tales: "Sir Thopas" The Tale of Melibee" "The Monk's Tale" "The Nun's Priest's Tale" and "The Second Nun's Tale"
Lecture 14- The Canterbury Tales: "The Canon's Yeoman's Tale" "TheManciple's Tale" The Retraction" and Our conclusions
Audiobook
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 24, 2025
Summaries of the poems with a few nice comments.
February 19, 2017
michael drout could easily read a lecture about the geometry of reinforced concrete lamp posts and its effect on international accounting standards, and i would be holding my breath and asking for more
July 29, 2019
Bard of the Middle Ages by Michael Drout
Michael Drout is an exceptional professor. He is enthusiastic, interesting and, obviously, well-informed.
In this case, his subject is Geoffrey Chaucer. I had always had a vague view of Chaucer. He was middle-English and wrote the Canterbury Tales, of course, but beyond that, he was, to me, a cipher.
Under Drout's tutelage, Chaucer comes alive as a real person. He was commoner among nobles. He he moved in court circles and had a reputation for integrity. He wrote more than the Canterbury Tales. In fact, a reader can watch him learn the craft of writing as he moves from book to book. Parenthetically, it's amazing that any of this survived.
Drout breaks down the Canterbury Tales in about six lectures covering the various tales. We learn a fair bit about Middle English, English culture and literature. The talk was intriguing enough to make me pick up The Canterbury Tales in dual Middle English and Modern English.
I totally recommend this lecture series.
Michael Drout is an exceptional professor. He is enthusiastic, interesting and, obviously, well-informed.
In this case, his subject is Geoffrey Chaucer. I had always had a vague view of Chaucer. He was middle-English and wrote the Canterbury Tales, of course, but beyond that, he was, to me, a cipher.
Under Drout's tutelage, Chaucer comes alive as a real person. He was commoner among nobles. He he moved in court circles and had a reputation for integrity. He wrote more than the Canterbury Tales. In fact, a reader can watch him learn the craft of writing as he moves from book to book. Parenthetically, it's amazing that any of this survived.
Drout breaks down the Canterbury Tales in about six lectures covering the various tales. We learn a fair bit about Middle English, English culture and literature. The talk was intriguing enough to make me pick up The Canterbury Tales in dual Middle English and Modern English.
I totally recommend this lecture series.
November 29, 2019
Bard of the Middle Ages: The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, takes the listener on a journey through Medieval England by way of delightful, serious and instructive tales describing the joys, challenges and the learnings of the time period. Professor Drout begins by presenting a brief overview of Chaucer's life and times in which he lived. Chaucer wrote about what he saw around him including the people and the roles they played in the community. His works are The Book of the Duchess, the Romance of the Rose and the Minor Poems; The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, The Parliament of Fowls, Boethius, and the most recognized work, The Canterbury Tales. Professor's interpretations of what Chaucer might have been saying in these and his other works brings a clarity and heightens interest in reading these works now that a framework has been presented. Recommended for lovers of English history, literature, poetry and Medieval times.
March 18, 2021
Drout hugely esteems Geoffrey Chaucer and his enthusiasm is evident in the fourteen lectures on the poet's life and works.( though he leaves out Chaucer's last poem on The Purse, a plea for Henry IV to grant him money to pay his debts.Chaucer may have been bankrupt at the end of his life despite being a senior public servant).Drout skillfully explains courtly love and other medieval beliefs to provide the context for Chaucer's poetical work and he does his best to explain away Chaucer's retraction at the end of the Canterbury Tales where Chaucer disavows any of his work that may lead readers to sin while extolling his tales on lives of the saints etc.Since the genius of Chaucer is to show 14th century life in England to the full with rogues and saints, lusts and loves ,this last minute sanitization by the poet has always baffled me.Drout is an excellent guide to Chaucer and Chaucer is an excellent guide to the human parade.
January 17, 2025
Michael D. C. Drout taught me more about Chaucer in this audiobook than I learned in an entire full-semester course in college.
He's such a gifted teacher. If I'd had time, I would have used his method for pronouncing Chaucer's version of English. I'm sure it would have worked.
One reason why I enjoyed these lectures so much was how Dr. Drout walked a fine line between sympathetically revealing popular (and preposterous) beliefs about love . . . while not appearing to personally believe in them himself. (Which would have been a tragedy, or possibly a horror movie.)
Although "Life got in the way" of my finishing ths magnificent offering from "The Modern Scholar," I learned so much. Absolutely illuminating!
He's such a gifted teacher. If I'd had time, I would have used his method for pronouncing Chaucer's version of English. I'm sure it would have worked.
One reason why I enjoyed these lectures so much was how Dr. Drout walked a fine line between sympathetically revealing popular (and preposterous) beliefs about love . . . while not appearing to personally believe in them himself. (Which would have been a tragedy, or possibly a horror movie.)
Although "Life got in the way" of my finishing ths magnificent offering from "The Modern Scholar," I learned so much. Absolutely illuminating!
July 15, 2018
Excellent introduction or review of the Canterbury Tales.
March 13, 2017
Really good stuff. I've added some other works of this professor by the middle of this course. Coming right after finishing The Cantebury Tales I wish I had checked this before. Excellent companion to Chaucer's works. Recommended!
August 10, 2014
A very interesting survey of the life and works of Chaucer. As always with Professor Drout, the lectures were very engaging and provide Drout's own insights without neglecting to provide a wider view that includes other schools of thought on the subject matter.
I found it funny that Drout brought up Tolkien more than once in these lectures - his Tolkien studies being what most people probably know him best for. While references such as this were somewhat off topic, they weren't bothersome at all, as they are not lengthy enough to make you feel Drout has completely gone off track and are an example of the kinds of interesting offhand comments Drout makes that add to the conversational tone he manages to keep in his lectures. Drout's engaging tone, relaxing voice, and thorough knowledge of the subject matter, and skill with rhetoric make him a delightful lecturer.
Just finished my second time listening to this volume of Drout's lectures. Just as enjoyable as the first time.
I found it funny that Drout brought up Tolkien more than once in these lectures - his Tolkien studies being what most people probably know him best for. While references such as this were somewhat off topic, they weren't bothersome at all, as they are not lengthy enough to make you feel Drout has completely gone off track and are an example of the kinds of interesting offhand comments Drout makes that add to the conversational tone he manages to keep in his lectures. Drout's engaging tone, relaxing voice, and thorough knowledge of the subject matter, and skill with rhetoric make him a delightful lecturer.
Just finished my second time listening to this volume of Drout's lectures. Just as enjoyable as the first time.
March 23, 2014
I really enjoyed this lecture series. I wasn't expecting to care much about most of this, but it was presented in an engaging fashion. Where was this when I was studying Chaucer in high school?
I liked the thorough and comprehensive review of the entirety of the Canterbury Tales, as I've never been tempted to run through the whole thing. I could be convinced to take the trip now, although I'm still not sold on reading it in Middle English.
Some of my reactions while going through the series:
Leave it to a philologist to provide a good explanation between rhyming and alliterative poetry. Germanic traditions call for alliterative poetry due to a lack of good rhyming available. Rhyming is French.
I didn't realize that Chaucer was responsible for starting the Valentines tradition. Hallmark should start a line of Chaucer cards in his honor.
I liked the thorough and comprehensive review of the entirety of the Canterbury Tales, as I've never been tempted to run through the whole thing. I could be convinced to take the trip now, although I'm still not sold on reading it in Middle English.
Some of my reactions while going through the series:
Leave it to a philologist to provide a good explanation between rhyming and alliterative poetry. Germanic traditions call for alliterative poetry due to a lack of good rhyming available. Rhyming is French.
I didn't realize that Chaucer was responsible for starting the Valentines tradition. Hallmark should start a line of Chaucer cards in his honor.
October 21, 2015
It did it's job. Drout contextualized Chaucer's works and provided an overview of his life. However, there were bits I thought he glossed over (sort of the nature of a survey this general). This series of lectures will get you to realize the import of being in class in person. There's a debate, or at least a lively discussion that goes with a work this grand and this old, many ambiguities to run down together.
September 30, 2023
An excellent and detailed exploration of the life, times and works of renowned medieval writer, Geoffey Chaucer, covering The Canterbury Tales along with his other, less famous writtings. Drout opened my eyes to how very similar Middle-English really is to modern English and gave me the courage to read Chaucer in unadulterated, original verse.
April 10, 2019
I loved it. my enjoyment of the book was greatly enhanced by the fact I took my daughter's advice and listened to Professor Droit immediately after finishing The Canterbury Tales while they were fresh in my mind. I cannot say I totally agreed with everything the Professor said about Chaucer, but mentally arguing with an author is part of the fun of a good book.
April 3, 2013
Professor Drout is so engaging, I'd listen to any course by him.
I was surprised by how interesting and entertaining this was.
I was surprised by how interesting and entertaining this was.
November 25, 2016
A wonderful set of lectures.
May 1, 2017
Another great, informative lecture series about the works of Chaucer, narrated, brilliantly, by Professor Drout. This guy could talk about mostly anything, I think, and it would still have me totally engaged!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews