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Riverside Chaucer Third Edition Plus Text Letter
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First published December 12, 1986
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About the author
Geoffrey Chaucer
1,207 books1,345 followersGeoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343 – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for The Canterbury Tales. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He was the first writer to be buried in what has since come to be called Poets' Corner, in Westminster Abbey. Chaucer also gained fame as a philosopher and astronomer, composing the scientific A Treatise on the Astrolabe for his 10-year-old son, Lewis. He maintained a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament.
Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is seen as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin. Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "the firste fyndere of our fair langage" (i.e., the first one capable of finding poetic matter in English). Almost two thousand English words are first attested to in Chaucerian manuscripts. As scholar Bruce Holsinger has argued, charting Chaucer's life and work comes with many challenges related to the "difficult disjunction between the written record of his public and private life and the literary corpus he left behind". His recorded works and his life show many personas that are "ironic, mysterious, elusive [or] cagey" in nature, ever-changing with new discoveries.
Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is seen as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin. Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "the firste fyndere of our fair langage" (i.e., the first one capable of finding poetic matter in English). Almost two thousand English words are first attested to in Chaucerian manuscripts. As scholar Bruce Holsinger has argued, charting Chaucer's life and work comes with many challenges related to the "difficult disjunction between the written record of his public and private life and the literary corpus he left behind". His recorded works and his life show many personas that are "ironic, mysterious, elusive [or] cagey" in nature, ever-changing with new discoveries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
March 17, 2021
This is the edition to grab for anyone interested in studying Chaucer’s works. It contains his original pieces and his translations in Middle English. There’s a brief introduction before each work, and the more difficult words and phrases are explained at the bottom of each page and in a glossary at the back. Additional front and back notes make this the Chaucer of choice.
Currently reading
March 1, 2020The Franklin's Tale is the last of the thematically linked "Marriage Group" and apparently some critics think it is meant to be Chaucer's view on the subject; marital success comes from understanding, forgiveness and hard work. It's a "rash promise" story where-in some-one instead of making an outright refusal, instead promises something in case of meeting an apparently impossible set of conditions. This is always a mistake, since a magician or some such always comes along and achieves said goal. So, never promise to love some-one if they can make all the rocks of the Brittany coast disappear...
I liked this Tale better than most I've read, but the Knight's Miller's and Wif of Bath's Tales are better.
The Physician's Tale: short, based on the Romance of the Rose, has a weird digression on parental responsibility. Widely considered by Chaucer critics to be "a bit naff" apparently.
The Pardoner's Tale
An amusing morality tale in which greed is the undoing of a trio of gamblers who go in search of Death, who is stalking the land during an outbreak of plague. They find a man who claims he cannot die who points them toward their destination...
The Shipman's Tale
Short, bawdy and full of deceit and trickery, this is a lightweight but typically Chaucerian tale.
The Prioress's Tale
A short and simple story that fits into the Lives of Martyrs and Miracle of the Virgin genres. Hits just about every negative stereotype about Jewish people in less than four pages, using Jews as boogeymen in similar fashion to the way Islam/Muslims often are in Romances of the period.
The Tale of Sir Thopas
As told by Chaucer himself! A burlesque on popular romances of the time about knights and chivalry and three headed giants - rapidly cut off by the Host who says they don't want to hear such rubbish, do you have any alliterative verse or maybe a story in prose that's better? Seems like not just a satire on the quality of the popular tales of the day but also a little self-mockery, having chosen to put the "worst" story into his own mouth - or is he saying, "Look, I'm really way better than this popular rubbish?"
Personally, I like tales of knights and chivalry and three headed giants - but I do like them better in alliterative verse than in rhyme...
The Tale of Melibee
Despite the valient defense in the Introduction, I found this pretty naff - it's a moral debate about revenge, justice and mercy that's predictable in general and boring in execution. Lobbing Biblical and Classical quotes at one-another just isn't that exciting to a modern audience.
The Monk's Tale
A collection of short biographies of famous people of high estate, intended to show that they will be brought low eventually - thankfully interrupted by the Knight and the Host! The whole thing seems to be a bit of a joke.
The Nun's Priest's Tale
How does a nun get her own priest, anyway?
As to the tale of Chantecleer the cockerel, it's an incredibly simple thing, plotwise. Chantecleer has a nasty dream and thinks it might be prophetic; his wife thinks otherwise. They throw Authority Bombs at each other, then they go out in the yard...what happens next might tell us which side of the ferocious Mediaeval debate about whether dreams could ever be prophetic or not. It's better than the interminable Tragic Lives the Monk was telling, though, so good job, Knight and Host for shutting the Monk up!
The Second Nun's Tale
...is mercifully short. It's a "saintly life" telling the story of the martyrdom of St. Cecilia. As pointed out in the Introduction, this genre is radically out of fashion and whilst this example is considered excellent, it just doesn't appeal to me. There is an alternative style of saintly life that merges with the Mediaeval Romance genre and has all sorts of preposterous coincidences, miracles and general goings on - that's way more fun to me. This one is dully straightforward and not in the least fantastical.
The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
A random stranger rides up and tells the pilgrims more than they could ever want to know about alchemy - but including three ways con-men trick the avaricious and gullible into parting with their valuables. Which made me think about con-artists. They have to play on some character flaw to succeed e.g. greed, ego, power-seeking, or else some desperate need for something emotional or physical; love, parenthood, freedom, even basic needs like food or shelter. Scepticism and self-knowledge are the best defenses.
The Manciple's Tale
How the crow got its croak and black feathers or, don't tell tales or, don't piss off a god.
The Parson's Tale
Not really a story of any kind - instead a prose treatise on penance unlikely to appeal to many without an interest in Mediaeval Christianity.
The Book of the Duchess
An elegy commisioned from Chaucer by John of Gaunt for his wife, Blanche. It's really dull except for the part where the narrator enters a mysterious forest in a dream and gets lost, meeting a Black Knight. Once said Knight starts telling his tale of woe - snooze.
The House of Fame
Frustratingly unfinished! Don't trust reputation or rumour - it may be completely false - but said in a very pretty way with fun imagery and references to The Aenied and The Divine Comedy. Perhaps my favourite part is when the dreamer is carried by the eagle to the House of Fame, high in the sky and he has the good sense to be terrified.
Anelida and Arcite
A "lover's complaint" that is superficial as a narrative and boring as a theme. Next!
The Parliament of Fowles
Another dream vision but at least this one is finished, unlike the previous two. The dreamer ends up in a temple with murals on the walls - which is rather familiar from The House of Fame - but this temple isn't deserted: Nature personified and all the birds of Spring are there. An amusing attempt to decide who should marry the female eagle ensues. Is there some allegory at work here? Anyway, it's more fun than most poems about Love and suited to it's role as a Valentine's Day celebration - apparently the first such poem ever.
Boece
A translation of Boethius' (Boece's) "Consolation of Philosophy," which would more accurately titled, Consolation of Christianity. Boethius takes a fall from riches, privilege and power due to political exile, reminded me of Dante.) In response, like Dante, he writes a book. Unlike Dante, it's not a thinly disguised revenge fantasy, but instead a dialogue with Philosophy personified, where-in Boethius argues that he should accept his change of status with good grace, as it will be good for his soul and works through such old saws as, how can God be omniscient if free will exists? It's epically dull, except for a couple of short excursions into Greek mythic territory.
Despite the similarity (a long discussion of Christian theology), more difficult dialect and long arguments largely in Latin, Piers Plowman is vastly more fun because of its heavy use of allegorical and entertaining story-telling. If you're interested in what Boethius had to say, a modern translation of the Latin would be much more accessible. This is probably for Chaucer scholars and amateur extreme enthusiasts only.
I liked this Tale better than most I've read, but the Knight's Miller's and Wif of Bath's Tales are better.
The Physician's Tale: short, based on the Romance of the Rose, has a weird digression on parental responsibility. Widely considered by Chaucer critics to be "a bit naff" apparently.
The Pardoner's Tale
An amusing morality tale in which greed is the undoing of a trio of gamblers who go in search of Death, who is stalking the land during an outbreak of plague. They find a man who claims he cannot die who points them toward their destination...
The Shipman's Tale
Short, bawdy and full of deceit and trickery, this is a lightweight but typically Chaucerian tale.
The Prioress's Tale
A short and simple story that fits into the Lives of Martyrs and Miracle of the Virgin genres. Hits just about every negative stereotype about Jewish people in less than four pages, using Jews as boogeymen in similar fashion to the way Islam/Muslims often are in Romances of the period.
The Tale of Sir Thopas
As told by Chaucer himself! A burlesque on popular romances of the time about knights and chivalry and three headed giants - rapidly cut off by the Host who says they don't want to hear such rubbish, do you have any alliterative verse or maybe a story in prose that's better? Seems like not just a satire on the quality of the popular tales of the day but also a little self-mockery, having chosen to put the "worst" story into his own mouth - or is he saying, "Look, I'm really way better than this popular rubbish?"
Personally, I like tales of knights and chivalry and three headed giants - but I do like them better in alliterative verse than in rhyme...
The Tale of Melibee
Despite the valient defense in the Introduction, I found this pretty naff - it's a moral debate about revenge, justice and mercy that's predictable in general and boring in execution. Lobbing Biblical and Classical quotes at one-another just isn't that exciting to a modern audience.
The Monk's Tale
A collection of short biographies of famous people of high estate, intended to show that they will be brought low eventually - thankfully interrupted by the Knight and the Host! The whole thing seems to be a bit of a joke.
The Nun's Priest's Tale
How does a nun get her own priest, anyway?
As to the tale of Chantecleer the cockerel, it's an incredibly simple thing, plotwise. Chantecleer has a nasty dream and thinks it might be prophetic; his wife thinks otherwise. They throw Authority Bombs at each other, then they go out in the yard...what happens next might tell us which side of the ferocious Mediaeval debate about whether dreams could ever be prophetic or not. It's better than the interminable Tragic Lives the Monk was telling, though, so good job, Knight and Host for shutting the Monk up!
The Second Nun's Tale
...is mercifully short. It's a "saintly life" telling the story of the martyrdom of St. Cecilia. As pointed out in the Introduction, this genre is radically out of fashion and whilst this example is considered excellent, it just doesn't appeal to me. There is an alternative style of saintly life that merges with the Mediaeval Romance genre and has all sorts of preposterous coincidences, miracles and general goings on - that's way more fun to me. This one is dully straightforward and not in the least fantastical.
The Canon's Yeoman's Tale
A random stranger rides up and tells the pilgrims more than they could ever want to know about alchemy - but including three ways con-men trick the avaricious and gullible into parting with their valuables. Which made me think about con-artists. They have to play on some character flaw to succeed e.g. greed, ego, power-seeking, or else some desperate need for something emotional or physical; love, parenthood, freedom, even basic needs like food or shelter. Scepticism and self-knowledge are the best defenses.
The Manciple's Tale
How the crow got its croak and black feathers or, don't tell tales or, don't piss off a god.
The Parson's Tale
Not really a story of any kind - instead a prose treatise on penance unlikely to appeal to many without an interest in Mediaeval Christianity.
The Book of the Duchess
An elegy commisioned from Chaucer by John of Gaunt for his wife, Blanche. It's really dull except for the part where the narrator enters a mysterious forest in a dream and gets lost, meeting a Black Knight. Once said Knight starts telling his tale of woe - snooze.
The House of Fame
Frustratingly unfinished! Don't trust reputation or rumour - it may be completely false - but said in a very pretty way with fun imagery and references to The Aenied and The Divine Comedy. Perhaps my favourite part is when the dreamer is carried by the eagle to the House of Fame, high in the sky and he has the good sense to be terrified.
Anelida and Arcite
A "lover's complaint" that is superficial as a narrative and boring as a theme. Next!
The Parliament of Fowles
Another dream vision but at least this one is finished, unlike the previous two. The dreamer ends up in a temple with murals on the walls - which is rather familiar from The House of Fame - but this temple isn't deserted: Nature personified and all the birds of Spring are there. An amusing attempt to decide who should marry the female eagle ensues. Is there some allegory at work here? Anyway, it's more fun than most poems about Love and suited to it's role as a Valentine's Day celebration - apparently the first such poem ever.
Boece
A translation of Boethius' (Boece's) "Consolation of Philosophy," which would more accurately titled, Consolation of Christianity. Boethius takes a fall from riches, privilege and power due to political exile, reminded me of Dante.) In response, like Dante, he writes a book. Unlike Dante, it's not a thinly disguised revenge fantasy, but instead a dialogue with Philosophy personified, where-in Boethius argues that he should accept his change of status with good grace, as it will be good for his soul and works through such old saws as, how can God be omniscient if free will exists? It's epically dull, except for a couple of short excursions into Greek mythic territory.
Despite the similarity (a long discussion of Christian theology), more difficult dialect and long arguments largely in Latin, Piers Plowman is vastly more fun because of its heavy use of allegorical and entertaining story-telling. If you're interested in what Boethius had to say, a modern translation of the Latin would be much more accessible. This is probably for Chaucer scholars and amateur extreme enthusiasts only.
September 27, 2014
English literature is downhill from Chaucer. Even as a Shakespeare scholar, I would argue this, since there are several characters in Chaucer who are as if live: The Wif of Bath, the Pardoner, the Host, the Canon's Yeoman,
and a half dozen others, at least. Shakespeare's characters, on the other hand, are all stagey, bigger than
life, infused with the stage. Or so it seems to me. Chaucer's Wif even makes colloquial grammar mistakes when she self-consciously describes what men like about women's bodies, such as "hire armes smalle."
Chaucer is outright, laugh-aloud funny, even in describing himself. The Host remarks how Chaucer as a pilgrim is staring at the ground while riding (shy?) and that he has a pot-belly like the Host himself. Chaucer gives himself the worst of the CT; he tells a memorized tale, which the Host interrupts as he would now interrupt rap, "This may we be rym doggerel"--this is doggerel!
As for Chaucer's superiority to all of English lit that follows, I would argue the same for Erasmus and H.S. education: Erasmus's Colloquiae, especially his Adulescens et Scortum, puts modern education books to shame. He wrote it for adolescent males, to teach them Latin, and it does this with a discussion between a prostitute and and a (High School-age) boy who's just been to Rome and reformed.
Admonition: Both Chaucer and Erasmus write essentially in a foreign language, the Middle English of
1390 being much closer to French--which in fact was used in Courts of Law in England for yet another century.
and a half dozen others, at least. Shakespeare's characters, on the other hand, are all stagey, bigger than
life, infused with the stage. Or so it seems to me. Chaucer's Wif even makes colloquial grammar mistakes when she self-consciously describes what men like about women's bodies, such as "hire armes smalle."
Chaucer is outright, laugh-aloud funny, even in describing himself. The Host remarks how Chaucer as a pilgrim is staring at the ground while riding (shy?) and that he has a pot-belly like the Host himself. Chaucer gives himself the worst of the CT; he tells a memorized tale, which the Host interrupts as he would now interrupt rap, "This may we be rym doggerel"--this is doggerel!
As for Chaucer's superiority to all of English lit that follows, I would argue the same for Erasmus and H.S. education: Erasmus's Colloquiae, especially his Adulescens et Scortum, puts modern education books to shame. He wrote it for adolescent males, to teach them Latin, and it does this with a discussion between a prostitute and and a (High School-age) boy who's just been to Rome and reformed.
Admonition: Both Chaucer and Erasmus write essentially in a foreign language, the Middle English of
1390 being much closer to French--which in fact was used in Courts of Law in England for yet another century.
March 3, 2018
This was a read for university.
For what it is worth, Chaucer has a sense of humor! It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I could laugh at the stories, and I could also identify different moral tales from them all at the same time too. You've got to love books which are as cleverly constructed and well written as this. [Note: I haven't read ALL the stories. Some.]
However, I had to translate it myself as well as I was/am learning medieval English for university. At least, how to translate and read it. Even though this wasn't as difficult as Sir Gwain and the Green Knight as I have progressed in my medieval English, it was still a bit trying and stole some of the enjoyment of reading. But this is a personal experience and not a criticism of Chaucer's work.
For what it is worth, Chaucer has a sense of humor! It wasn't what I was expecting at all. I could laugh at the stories, and I could also identify different moral tales from them all at the same time too. You've got to love books which are as cleverly constructed and well written as this. [Note: I haven't read ALL the stories. Some.]
However, I had to translate it myself as well as I was/am learning medieval English for university. At least, how to translate and read it. Even though this wasn't as difficult as Sir Gwain and the Green Knight as I have progressed in my medieval English, it was still a bit trying and stole some of the enjoyment of reading. But this is a personal experience and not a criticism of Chaucer's work.
April 1, 2009
I may be a total nerd, but devoting a semester to reading Chaucer in middle English has been one of the best academic decisions I have ever made. One of Chaucer's short poems, The Book of the Duchess, written to condole Chaucer's patron John of Gaunt after he lost is beloved wife Blanche, Duchess of Lancaster, is among the most beautiful I have ever read. My class began to read it a year after the death of another angel, Eve Carson, UNC student body president. I'm finding it difficult to put in words, but my reading The Book of Duchess occurred at the right moment. There was something about reading this poem a year after her tragic death that somehow mirrored the reading of this poem to John of Gaunt a year after the death of Blanche. It is a poem truly timeless. Troilus and Criseyde is fantastic as well. I think everyone can identify with Troilus's love-sickness in Book I. And although they appear daunting, there is never a dull moment in The Canterbury Tales. I've even memorized the first sentence of the prologue:
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke
That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.
Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages
And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes
To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
And specially from every shires ende
Of Engelond, to Caunterbury they wende,
The hooly blisful martir for to seke
That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.
October 16, 2014
Everyone goes gooey for the Tales (not without reason). But Troilus and Criseyde is the connoisseur's Chaucer. Shorter texts are great too. Most interesting thing about the Tales is how the proto-bourgeois Hoost directs the entire thing to his own advantage.
Hoost's greatest hits include:
But by the croys which that Seint Eleyne fond,
I wolde I hadde thy coillons in myn hond
In stide of relikes or of seintuarie.
Lat kutte hem of, I wol thee helpe hem carie;
They shul be shryned in an hogges toord.
(Pardoner's Tale at 665-69).
how friggin' great is that?
More:
"Namoore of this, for Goddes dignitee,"
Quod oure Hooste, "for thou makest me
So wery of thy verray lewednesse,
That also wisly God my soule blesse,
Min eres aken of thy drasty speche.
Now swich a rym the devel I biteche!
This may wel be rym dogerel," quod he.
"Why so?" quod I, "why wiltow lette me
Moore of my tale than another man
Syn that it is the beste tale I kan?"
"By God," quod he, "for pleynly at a word
Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a toord,
Thou doost noght elles but despendest tyme.
Sir, at o word thou shalt no lenger ryme.
Lat se wher thou kanst tellen aught in geeste,
Or telle in prose somwhat, at the leeste,
In which ther be som murthe or som doctryne."
(Tale of Sir Tophas, 239-245).
Yes yes!
Hoost's greatest hits include:
But by the croys which that Seint Eleyne fond,
I wolde I hadde thy coillons in myn hond
In stide of relikes or of seintuarie.
Lat kutte hem of, I wol thee helpe hem carie;
They shul be shryned in an hogges toord.
(Pardoner's Tale at 665-69).
how friggin' great is that?
More:
"Namoore of this, for Goddes dignitee,"
Quod oure Hooste, "for thou makest me
So wery of thy verray lewednesse,
That also wisly God my soule blesse,
Min eres aken of thy drasty speche.
Now swich a rym the devel I biteche!
This may wel be rym dogerel," quod he.
"Why so?" quod I, "why wiltow lette me
Moore of my tale than another man
Syn that it is the beste tale I kan?"
"By God," quod he, "for pleynly at a word
Thy drasty rymyng is nat worth a toord,
Thou doost noght elles but despendest tyme.
Sir, at o word thou shalt no lenger ryme.
Lat se wher thou kanst tellen aught in geeste,
Or telle in prose somwhat, at the leeste,
In which ther be som murthe or som doctryne."
(Tale of Sir Tophas, 239-245).
Yes yes!
May 23, 2011
Chaucer is my love. Middle English is ridiculously hard for us Modern English-ers to read, but Chaucer is oh so worth it. I bought this for my Chaucer seminar, which focused on everything but the Canterbury Tales. Can I just say that everyone should read Troilus and Criseyde? No one knows about it but extreme English dorks (like myself :P ), but most scholars think it his greatest work. It's wonderful, and the characters will make you SO ANGRY! The men are so awful!
So, my conclusion. Read Chaucer, please!
So, my conclusion. Read Chaucer, please!
January 25, 2020
been reading this on and off since college and everytime I open it up from my bookshelf, I end up reading it for hours, it's utterly seducing. So fucking good.
February 28, 2024
Chaucer is good fun, but I doubt I’ll tackle him in Middle English again.
March 30, 2016
II
"The sore spark of peyne doth me spille;
This love hath [eek] me set in swich a place
That my desyr [he] never wol fulfille;
For neither pitee, mercy, neither grace
Can I not finde; and fro my sorwful herte,
For to be deed, I can hit nat arace.
The more I love, the more she doth me smerte;
Through which I see, with-oute remedye,
That from the deeth I may no wyse asterte;
For this day in hir servise shal I dye."
-"A Compleint to his Lady"
Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most influential poets to ever live, as well as one of the most talented. As well as being the primary writer of his time and basically every English student's introduction into medieval literature, his poetry is so precisely metrical in a way that makes a natural flow easy to catch onto while reading. Additionally, his work is undoubtedly the smoothest way to start reading Middle English, so that when you feel like moving on to somebody else's work (ex. The Pearl Poet, Langland, etc.), it won't be quite so hard to get into.
Another reason why Chaucer is so great is that his philosophies are simply wonderful to read about. Sometimes it can hinder a work from being really great (Troilus and Criseyde, for example), but for the most part it makes for a really great insight into medieval standards of life. There are plenty of allegorical dreams to be read about, which is almost kind of a trope for medieval literature; however, Chaucer's accounts are a lot less cryptic than something like Piers Plowman, which is basically the Inception of allegories. So really, it all ultimately comes back to me saying that Chaucer is the backbone of medieval literature. He's a wonderful starting point, but he's also such a relief to come back to after reading more some of his more challenging contemporaries.
Another final note I must make is one universal truth: read Chaucer in his original language and Shakespeare will never be difficult to read ever again.
Here are links to longer works of his that I reviewed separately:
My review of Troilus and Criseyde
My review of The Canterbury Tales
My review of The Romaunt of the Rose
My review of The Book of the Duchess
My review of The Parliament of Birds
My review of De Consolantione Philosophae
"The sore spark of peyne doth me spille;
This love hath [eek] me set in swich a place
That my desyr [he] never wol fulfille;
For neither pitee, mercy, neither grace
Can I not finde; and fro my sorwful herte,
For to be deed, I can hit nat arace.
The more I love, the more she doth me smerte;
Through which I see, with-oute remedye,
That from the deeth I may no wyse asterte;
For this day in hir servise shal I dye."
-"A Compleint to his Lady"
Geoffrey Chaucer is one of the most influential poets to ever live, as well as one of the most talented. As well as being the primary writer of his time and basically every English student's introduction into medieval literature, his poetry is so precisely metrical in a way that makes a natural flow easy to catch onto while reading. Additionally, his work is undoubtedly the smoothest way to start reading Middle English, so that when you feel like moving on to somebody else's work (ex. The Pearl Poet, Langland, etc.), it won't be quite so hard to get into.
Another reason why Chaucer is so great is that his philosophies are simply wonderful to read about. Sometimes it can hinder a work from being really great (Troilus and Criseyde, for example), but for the most part it makes for a really great insight into medieval standards of life. There are plenty of allegorical dreams to be read about, which is almost kind of a trope for medieval literature; however, Chaucer's accounts are a lot less cryptic than something like Piers Plowman, which is basically the Inception of allegories. So really, it all ultimately comes back to me saying that Chaucer is the backbone of medieval literature. He's a wonderful starting point, but he's also such a relief to come back to after reading more some of his more challenging contemporaries.
Another final note I must make is one universal truth: read Chaucer in his original language and Shakespeare will never be difficult to read ever again.
Here are links to longer works of his that I reviewed separately:
My review of Troilus and Criseyde
My review of The Canterbury Tales
My review of The Romaunt of the Rose
My review of The Book of the Duchess
My review of The Parliament of Birds
My review of De Consolantione Philosophae
June 16, 2012
The Holy Grail for Chaucerians. It pleased me to no end that this was on the list of required texts for my grad-level course in Chaucer because it gave me an excuse to add it to my library! There are very few works of literature in the English language as diverse as The Canterbury Tales - in turns deadly serious, baudy, unapologetically sexual, and meditative, this is arguably one of the greatest collection of stories ever written. I've read through The Canterbury Tales three times in their entirety, once in the Modern English and twice in Middle English, and each time the text produces something new and delightful, either on a microtextual level or a realization about the work as a whole.
I won't write separate listings for them, but the four critical works that really helped open Chaucer up for me were:
The Art of the Canterbury Tales by Paul Ruggiers (University of Wisconsin Press 1967)
Chaucer and the French Tradition by Charles Muscatine (University of California Press 1964)
Chaucer's Sexual Poetics by Carolyn Dinshaw (University of Wisconsin Press 1989)
The Riverside Chaucer, however, also has his lesser known, but beautifully written, Book of the Duchess, the hagiographic Legend of Good Women, the dreamlike Parliament of Fowls, and much much more.
In the interest of full disclosure: I haven't yet read his Troilus and Criseyde, but would like to get to it some day.
I won't write separate listings for them, but the four critical works that really helped open Chaucer up for me were:
The Art of the Canterbury Tales by Paul Ruggiers (University of Wisconsin Press 1967)
Chaucer and the French Tradition by Charles Muscatine (University of California Press 1964)
Chaucer's Sexual Poetics by Carolyn Dinshaw (University of Wisconsin Press 1989)
The Riverside Chaucer, however, also has his lesser known, but beautifully written, Book of the Duchess, the hagiographic Legend of Good Women, the dreamlike Parliament of Fowls, and much much more.
In the interest of full disclosure: I haven't yet read his Troilus and Criseyde, but would like to get to it some day.
May 16, 2014
I remember when Professor Savoia told us this was, and I believe still is, the only complete collection of Chaucer's opus, I hurried to buy this tome, and did not think I would ever read it all, but, it looks, years on, many, to be honest, only a few 'minor' poems still elude me.
In terms of structure, there is as much as you can expect in a single volume collection of a pretty prolific poet; a general introduction, a rather detailed exposition of Chaucer's language, introductions to the major works, notes at the end. All compacted in one 'manageable' volume. For those who are still stuck with reading 'The Canterbury Tales', I suggest they skip around a bit, Chaucer is really much, much more than them. 'the Hus of Fame', 'The Parliament of Fowls', 'The Bok of the Duchesse' are just some of the great treasures this son of a vintner has given us, often left to the enjoyment of a a few geeks like me...
In terms of structure, there is as much as you can expect in a single volume collection of a pretty prolific poet; a general introduction, a rather detailed exposition of Chaucer's language, introductions to the major works, notes at the end. All compacted in one 'manageable' volume. For those who are still stuck with reading 'The Canterbury Tales', I suggest they skip around a bit, Chaucer is really much, much more than them. 'the Hus of Fame', 'The Parliament of Fowls', 'The Bok of the Duchesse' are just some of the great treasures this son of a vintner has given us, often left to the enjoyment of a a few geeks like me...
April 12, 2018
This is a massive doorstop of a book, but it's invaluable for a student or scholar: Chaucer's works in their original Middle English with definitions of words in the margins, allowing students to learn as they go and minimize disruptive flipping back and forth between the text and a dictionary.
All of the linguistic subtlety of Chaucer's original work is made clear here in a way that is lost in even the best translations. Chaucer's sense of structure and character are literary game-changers that shine through in any version, but one thing that does get lost in translation is the way Chaucer shifts between words with French or Old English roots to show each character's class and background, a technique of regional dialect that eighteenth-century novelists mistakenly patted themselves on the back for inventing.
All in all, this edition is challenging but rewards serious effort.
All of the linguistic subtlety of Chaucer's original work is made clear here in a way that is lost in even the best translations. Chaucer's sense of structure and character are literary game-changers that shine through in any version, but one thing that does get lost in translation is the way Chaucer shifts between words with French or Old English roots to show each character's class and background, a technique of regional dialect that eighteenth-century novelists mistakenly patted themselves on the back for inventing.
All in all, this edition is challenging but rewards serious effort.
November 8, 2009
Okay, so this is THE book for Chaucer studies. However...and this is a big however...it is NOT a reader-friendly edition. The way the footnotes are set up is completely asinine, in my opinion. This is a great edition for Chaucer scholars who have been reading Chaucer for decades and know the stories well and read Middle English just as easily as they read the newspaper. For people not in those categories, this is not the ideal edition. Look for an edition that gives definitional glosses out to the side of each line rather than at the bottom of the page. It will make a huge difference.
Read
April 8, 2009If you're looking for some Chaucer, this is the best, most comprehensive collection of his work. If you're not looking for some Chaucer, well, then this book would just be a silly choice.
March 14, 2011
one of the Top three books on my shelves that I will grab on my way out if the house catches fire.
June 15, 2019
This massive tome, 1327 pages in length, was the text used in my college Chaucer class, and provides a wonderful introduction to the works of this brilliant, but frequently under-appreciated poet. It contains all of Chaucer's major works, presented in their original Middle English; and includes the famous
The Canterbury Tales
,
The Book of the Duchess
,
The Parliament of Fowls
,
Troilus and Criseyde
, and many other short pieces. The introduction and appendices provide some very useful background material, whether of a biographical or literary nature. The texts themselves are presented with explanatory vocabulary footnotes, fleshed out further by the scholarly notes and glossary at the conclusion of the volume.
I have loved The Canterbury Tales since first reading them in high school, and feel quite passionately that they are best appreciated in their original form. You have not really read Chaucer until you have read him in the Middle English, and The Riverside Chaucer provides the reader with a relatively pain-free way of doing just that. Full of unexpected humor, sly innuendo, and a witty wordplay that doesn't always translate in modern "updates," Chaucer's language is not so different from our own that it cannot be approached by the novice. I certainly had no experience reading Middle English before picking up this book, and somehow managed, with the help of the notes and vocabulary, to enjoy the experience.
One final note: although this book is similar in name and scope to the more ubiquitous The Riverside Shakespeare it is worth noting that it can boast of far better production values, being attractively bound on the outside, and printed upon good quality paper, that does not have the feel of newsprint. All in all, a beautiful volume, well worth owning.
I have loved The Canterbury Tales since first reading them in high school, and feel quite passionately that they are best appreciated in their original form. You have not really read Chaucer until you have read him in the Middle English, and The Riverside Chaucer provides the reader with a relatively pain-free way of doing just that. Full of unexpected humor, sly innuendo, and a witty wordplay that doesn't always translate in modern "updates," Chaucer's language is not so different from our own that it cannot be approached by the novice. I certainly had no experience reading Middle English before picking up this book, and somehow managed, with the help of the notes and vocabulary, to enjoy the experience.
One final note: although this book is similar in name and scope to the more ubiquitous The Riverside Shakespeare it is worth noting that it can boast of far better production values, being attractively bound on the outside, and printed upon good quality paper, that does not have the feel of newsprint. All in all, a beautiful volume, well worth owning.
October 23, 2024
An initial caveat: I did not read the entire Riverside Chaucer, merely the entire Canterbury Tales. I had not read the tales in any appreciable way since undergrad and felt it was high time I did. Somehow, the experience was richer and more meaningful to me as a middle aged man than it was to a young know-it-all. For me, Chaucer has every bit of the breadth of Shakespeare, the depth of Milton, and the reach of Dante. The descriptions of Alisoun in The Knight's Tale and the absolute ribaldry of The Miller's Tale are unparalleled in English literature.
January 13, 2016
This book was the backbone to a Chaucer course I have recently completed. This collection contains all you'll need from Chaucer's poetry, to the ever-famous Canterbury Tales, and more. I found that although I loved the tales, Chaucer's poetry claimed a special place in my heart. His work is noble and honest. Critiquing of humanity and it's pitfalls, and it's beauty as well. He started something in his lifetime. As an educated and nobleman who was in relation with the aristocracy, he deliberately chose to write in the Middle English language. I found that to be quite the political statement, but I leave that for you to decide. This work is entirely in Middle English, and requires much detangling, but is so very worth it. This has to have been one the most literarily-rich courses I've ever taken in terms of subject matter, context, and delivery. Chaucer was a master penman. His work will leave your world-view a little broader, and your hope for humanity, a little stronger.
January 11, 2011
Read for EN2003: Mediaeval and Renaissance Texts, 2010 - 2011
We had to read 'The Miller's Tale' and 'The Franklin's Tale' for our course. I have to admit, I wasn't exactly impressed by the former, although it was interesting to learn about the background of fabliaux, and our Old English department put on a wonderful dramatisation of it! But not really my style of humour. 'The Franklin's Tale' was much more interesting, especially with all of the unanswered questions and comparisons to romantic literature that can be made. I did find them kind of difficult to read, but I found reading them in a Scottish accent helped. (Well, in my head, at least. Despite being born and raised in Scotland my accent is rather boring, but I've heard enough broad ones to imagine it in my head).
We had to read 'The Miller's Tale' and 'The Franklin's Tale' for our course. I have to admit, I wasn't exactly impressed by the former, although it was interesting to learn about the background of fabliaux, and our Old English department put on a wonderful dramatisation of it! But not really my style of humour. 'The Franklin's Tale' was much more interesting, especially with all of the unanswered questions and comparisons to romantic literature that can be made. I did find them kind of difficult to read, but I found reading them in a Scottish accent helped. (Well, in my head, at least. Despite being born and raised in Scotland my accent is rather boring, but I've heard enough broad ones to imagine it in my head).
March 26, 2019
Canterbury Tales is certainly one of those books, like Ulysses or Proust or Golden Bowl, that no one's actually read or if they have they hated it or if they didn't they're lying because they think it'll impress you. But I took a whole class on this in college and I had this terrific professor, and she showed me how awesome this is. Really, it's a heap of fun. Are you impressed?
ps my actual review of Canterbury Tales is here
ps my actual review of Canterbury Tales is here
May 9, 2009
Full confession: I haven't read the entire thing. I have read most of it. Yes, it's in Middle English. Yes, it is awesome. Also, you totally feel accomplished once you've read a good chunk of it. Makes you feel all hardcore and stuff. Chaucer is the mad note.
August 11, 2010
This is the greatest edition of one of the greatest authors. Perhaps Shakespeare is greater. Perhaps.
Chaucer's ability to capture the variety and earthiness of human life is unparalleled. He is the poet of human nature.
Chaucer's ability to capture the variety and earthiness of human life is unparalleled. He is the poet of human nature.
May 15, 2017
This is THE Chaucer book, it has everything plus helpful comments and annotations. I wish I had the time to read it front to back, but for now I only had the time to read some of the Tales and the Romaunt of the Rose.
June 11, 2017
Full disclosure: I skipped the longer translations from other writers.
June 11, 2018
The Riverside Chaucer is considered the definitive text for what scholars believe belong to the body of work written and/or translated by Geoffrey Chaucer, “the father of English literature.” The editors have reproduced the entire text in Middle English which does take some getting used to. Fortunately, the editors provide introductions, copious “translation to modern English” footnotes, a glossary of Middle English words, and lengthy anecdotal footnotes that discuss various interpretations, explanations, and meanings for a Middle English audience.
Canterbury Tales
The most well known of Chaucer’s writings, The Canterbury Tales survive in various fragmented forms. Many tales were tacked onto the original versions by later authors, but The Riverside Chaucer has tried diligently to weed out these extras. This is an especially difficult task given that no original manuscript survives and the editors had to piece together the Tales from various manuscripts published up to 200 years after Chaucer’s death.
Chaucer frames the Tales with a General Prologue that describes each of the pilgrims and sets up the story of their pilgrimage to the Cathedral at Canterbury. The host of the tavern where the pilgrims gather before setting off, Harry Bailey, suggests that the pilgrims play a game of telling tales to each other to while away the time as they travel. The original plan called for four tales from each pilgrim. Whether Chaucer ran out of time or simply never intended to complete four tales for each pilgrim is unknown, but most of the pilgrims tell only one tale, and the ones called upon to tell more than one tale are not able to complete all of their tales.
The pilgrims are a mishmash of clergy, nobles, tradespeople, and commoners. In the interstices between the tales they squabble and poke at each other and often use their turn at storytelling to wreak revenge on the previous teller. For example, the Miller tells a fabliau tale as a rebuttal to the drawn-out romance related by the Knight. Because the Miller makes fun of a carpenter in his tale, the Reeve, a carpenter by trade, makes a miller the butt of his fabliau.
Chaucer plays with a variety of styles in his tales: romance, saints’ lives, miracles of the Virgin Mary, fabliaux, exempla, sermons, literary confession, and allegory. Most of Chaucer’s material did not originate with him; rather, Chaucer used literature available to him and adapted the stories for his own purposes, translating and rewriting them into Middle English poetry. Chaucer also avails himself of different rhyme schemes and formats that fit either the pilgrim telling the tale or the style of the tale itself.
Other Works
Since my seminar focused on The Canterbury Tales, I am less well-versed in Chaucer’s other work though I did read the sections assigned from various pieces because Chaucer mimicked some of his own earlier writings when composing The Canterbury Tales.
The Book of the Duchess: In this poem, Chaucer commemorates the death of the Duchess of Lancaster, the wife of his patron, John of Gaunt. As with other poems, Chaucer uses a dream framework through which to narrate the poem and console John of Gaunt (the mourning knight) for the loss of his wife (the beautiful woman).
The House of Fame: Another dream vision, this poem takes the dreamer on a trip to heaven and vaguely resembles Dante’s Divine Comedy in some respects.
The Parliament of Fowls: In this poem, various birds debate the nature of love, poetry and philosophy. This poem is possibly the very first romantic tribute to Valentine’s Day and is extremely comic.
Boece or Boethius: This poem takes on a more serious tone, and is one of the few works that Chaucer does not retract at the end of The Canterbury Tales. Much of Boece is Chaucer’s translation from Latin into Middle English verse and showcases the ancient philosopher Boethius’s Platonic dialogues with Lady Philosophy and the goddess Fortuna. Chaucer’s translation of Boethius had a profound effect on his own beliefs, evident in much of his poetry.
The Romaunt of the Rose: This poem once again translates another work, specifically the Roman de la rose from French. Also a dream vision, the lover wanders through a garden and faces various trials and triumphs concerning love, encompassing both male and female points of view.
The Riverside Chaucer also includes: Troilus and Criseyde, The Legend of Good Women, An ABC, Anelida and Arcite, A Treatise on the Astrolabe, and other poems possibly composed by Chaucer.
Organization
The text presents all of Chaucer’s writings in Middle English, most of which is footnoted throughout. If a particular Middle English term is not footnoted, one may also consult the glossary included at the back of the book. Copious textual notes follow Chaucer’s writings. Rather than flip back and forth, I found it easier to read the introductions in the textual notes to various Tales and then consult the notes when I had questions about a part of the text or after I had finished reading the piece entirely. Though I’m not very fond of the “flip” method, I think it would detract from the poetry if the editors had included the explanatory notes as the reader went along.
Overall
While not many people will run out and buy an expensive book mostly in Middle English, The Riverside Chaucer is considered the most complete and well-annotated text of Chaucer’s work. It’s a must for any Chaucer scholar and also the ultimate reference book for anyone studying The Canterbury Tales or medieval literature, especially for finding critical interpretations and for understanding medieval imagery.
Canterbury Tales
The most well known of Chaucer’s writings, The Canterbury Tales survive in various fragmented forms. Many tales were tacked onto the original versions by later authors, but The Riverside Chaucer has tried diligently to weed out these extras. This is an especially difficult task given that no original manuscript survives and the editors had to piece together the Tales from various manuscripts published up to 200 years after Chaucer’s death.
Chaucer frames the Tales with a General Prologue that describes each of the pilgrims and sets up the story of their pilgrimage to the Cathedral at Canterbury. The host of the tavern where the pilgrims gather before setting off, Harry Bailey, suggests that the pilgrims play a game of telling tales to each other to while away the time as they travel. The original plan called for four tales from each pilgrim. Whether Chaucer ran out of time or simply never intended to complete four tales for each pilgrim is unknown, but most of the pilgrims tell only one tale, and the ones called upon to tell more than one tale are not able to complete all of their tales.
The pilgrims are a mishmash of clergy, nobles, tradespeople, and commoners. In the interstices between the tales they squabble and poke at each other and often use their turn at storytelling to wreak revenge on the previous teller. For example, the Miller tells a fabliau tale as a rebuttal to the drawn-out romance related by the Knight. Because the Miller makes fun of a carpenter in his tale, the Reeve, a carpenter by trade, makes a miller the butt of his fabliau.
Chaucer plays with a variety of styles in his tales: romance, saints’ lives, miracles of the Virgin Mary, fabliaux, exempla, sermons, literary confession, and allegory. Most of Chaucer’s material did not originate with him; rather, Chaucer used literature available to him and adapted the stories for his own purposes, translating and rewriting them into Middle English poetry. Chaucer also avails himself of different rhyme schemes and formats that fit either the pilgrim telling the tale or the style of the tale itself.
Other Works
Since my seminar focused on The Canterbury Tales, I am less well-versed in Chaucer’s other work though I did read the sections assigned from various pieces because Chaucer mimicked some of his own earlier writings when composing The Canterbury Tales.
The Book of the Duchess: In this poem, Chaucer commemorates the death of the Duchess of Lancaster, the wife of his patron, John of Gaunt. As with other poems, Chaucer uses a dream framework through which to narrate the poem and console John of Gaunt (the mourning knight) for the loss of his wife (the beautiful woman).
The House of Fame: Another dream vision, this poem takes the dreamer on a trip to heaven and vaguely resembles Dante’s Divine Comedy in some respects.
The Parliament of Fowls: In this poem, various birds debate the nature of love, poetry and philosophy. This poem is possibly the very first romantic tribute to Valentine’s Day and is extremely comic.
Boece or Boethius: This poem takes on a more serious tone, and is one of the few works that Chaucer does not retract at the end of The Canterbury Tales. Much of Boece is Chaucer’s translation from Latin into Middle English verse and showcases the ancient philosopher Boethius’s Platonic dialogues with Lady Philosophy and the goddess Fortuna. Chaucer’s translation of Boethius had a profound effect on his own beliefs, evident in much of his poetry.
The Romaunt of the Rose: This poem once again translates another work, specifically the Roman de la rose from French. Also a dream vision, the lover wanders through a garden and faces various trials and triumphs concerning love, encompassing both male and female points of view.
The Riverside Chaucer also includes: Troilus and Criseyde, The Legend of Good Women, An ABC, Anelida and Arcite, A Treatise on the Astrolabe, and other poems possibly composed by Chaucer.
Organization
The text presents all of Chaucer’s writings in Middle English, most of which is footnoted throughout. If a particular Middle English term is not footnoted, one may also consult the glossary included at the back of the book. Copious textual notes follow Chaucer’s writings. Rather than flip back and forth, I found it easier to read the introductions in the textual notes to various Tales and then consult the notes when I had questions about a part of the text or after I had finished reading the piece entirely. Though I’m not very fond of the “flip” method, I think it would detract from the poetry if the editors had included the explanatory notes as the reader went along.
Overall
While not many people will run out and buy an expensive book mostly in Middle English, The Riverside Chaucer is considered the most complete and well-annotated text of Chaucer’s work. It’s a must for any Chaucer scholar and also the ultimate reference book for anyone studying The Canterbury Tales or medieval literature, especially for finding critical interpretations and for understanding medieval imagery.
November 14, 2018
General prologue
Fragment VII
Fragment VII
March 16, 2024
I kinda get the Chaucer hype ngl
October 12, 2007
I was apprehensive about reading Chaucer due to what I thought was an incorrigible phobia - so unfortunately and tragically cultivated during high school - for everything that is Chaucer. "Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote..." What? What? What?
Well, having read, in Middle English, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, The Parliament of Fowls, The House of Fame, his translation of Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy (titled "Boece"), and Troilus and Crisseyde, I must say the phobia was nothing but a childish delusion. One of the many revelations I had in spending a month reading the double-columned, small-type, extra-thin pages was that Chaucer can be FUNNY.
Absolon wants to kiss Alison who's a rich carpenter's wife. Nicholas is Alison's lover. Absolon is at Alison's window, and Alison says fine, just one quick kiss.
This Absolon gan wype his mouth ful drie.
Derk was the nyght as pich, or as the cole,
And at the wyndow out she putte her hole,
And Absolon, hym fil no bet ne wers,
But with his mouth he kiste hir naked ers [ass]
Ful savourly, er [before] he were war [aware] of this.
"Tehee!" quod she, and clapte the wyndow to,
And Absolon gooth forth a sory pas.
"A berd! A berd!" quod hende Nicolas
(The Miller's Tale)
Or take a scene where Damyan and January commit adultery right in front of January's blind husband, Mayus. January and Mayus are walking in this private garden and she tells him that she wants some fruit of a tree, where Damyan is hiding:
"So I my foot myghte sette upon youre bak."
"Certes," quod he, "theron shal be no lak,
Mighte I yow helpen with myn herte blood."
He stoupeth doun, and on his bak she stood,
And caughte hire by a twiste, and up she gooth -
Ladyes, I prey yow that ye be nat wrooth;
I kan nat glose, I am a rude man -
And sodeynly anon this Damyan
Gan pullen up the smok, and in he throng [thrust]
(The Merchant's Tale)
So he could be funny. And he's actually readable! And since he's the "Father of English Literature," it is worth the time to read him in order to understand how later writers were influenced by him. For example, no less an author than Shakespeare himself took from Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and The Knight's Tale for his plays, Troilus and Cressida and The Two Noble Kinsmen respectively. Edmund Spenser admired him so much that he wrote his magnum opus in archaic, Chaucer-like English. Then Ezra Pond said: "Anyone who is too lazy to master the comparatively small glossary necessary to understand Chaucer deserves to be shut out from the reading of good books for ever." I wouldn't go that far, but I think it was definitely worth the effort to read Chaucer.
Well, having read, in Middle English, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, The Parliament of Fowls, The House of Fame, his translation of Boethius's The Consolation of Philosophy (titled "Boece"), and Troilus and Crisseyde, I must say the phobia was nothing but a childish delusion. One of the many revelations I had in spending a month reading the double-columned, small-type, extra-thin pages was that Chaucer can be FUNNY.
Absolon wants to kiss Alison who's a rich carpenter's wife. Nicholas is Alison's lover. Absolon is at Alison's window, and Alison says fine, just one quick kiss.
This Absolon gan wype his mouth ful drie.
Derk was the nyght as pich, or as the cole,
And at the wyndow out she putte her hole,
And Absolon, hym fil no bet ne wers,
But with his mouth he kiste hir naked ers [ass]
Ful savourly, er [before] he were war [aware] of this.
"Tehee!" quod she, and clapte the wyndow to,
And Absolon gooth forth a sory pas.
"A berd! A berd!" quod hende Nicolas
(The Miller's Tale)
Or take a scene where Damyan and January commit adultery right in front of January's blind husband, Mayus. January and Mayus are walking in this private garden and she tells him that she wants some fruit of a tree, where Damyan is hiding:
"So I my foot myghte sette upon youre bak."
"Certes," quod he, "theron shal be no lak,
Mighte I yow helpen with myn herte blood."
He stoupeth doun, and on his bak she stood,
And caughte hire by a twiste, and up she gooth -
Ladyes, I prey yow that ye be nat wrooth;
I kan nat glose, I am a rude man -
And sodeynly anon this Damyan
Gan pullen up the smok, and in he throng [thrust]
(The Merchant's Tale)
So he could be funny. And he's actually readable! And since he's the "Father of English Literature," it is worth the time to read him in order to understand how later writers were influenced by him. For example, no less an author than Shakespeare himself took from Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde and The Knight's Tale for his plays, Troilus and Cressida and The Two Noble Kinsmen respectively. Edmund Spenser admired him so much that he wrote his magnum opus in archaic, Chaucer-like English. Then Ezra Pond said: "Anyone who is too lazy to master the comparatively small glossary necessary to understand Chaucer deserves to be shut out from the reading of good books for ever." I wouldn't go that far, but I think it was definitely worth the effort to read Chaucer.
Read
April 7, 2014What follows is a review of this book itself, not its contents. Chaucer rules; this book sucks. Here's why:
Let me state at the outset that I am not an anti-capitalist. Quite the contrary. I think free markets are awesome, unfairly denigrated, and usually blamed for things that are actually the result of unfree markets. This book is a classic case.
This book is a chore in every sense: to buy, to carry, to read, to cite. No consumer would choose this book of their own free will. For the cost, you could buy Chaucer's works as a multi-volume set instead (think Norton Critical Editions). This solution would be more pleasurable to read and less likely to give you a hernia. It is also a pain to cite from Riverside when you want to delineate various works, critical introductions, etc. "But Dave," you say, "its a one-volume authoritative edition!" So. What possible reason is there for forcing everything between two covers? Price? Since when do colleges care about the cost of textbooks? Convenience? What about this book is convenient? No, this book screams "I don't give a crap about the reader. You're gonna buy this big-ass book and you're gonna like it. You will never read this book after college anyway so who cares. This form is convenient and functional for the institutions and our convenience matters more than yours."
If consumers [students] had any say in the textbook market, this garbage would not exist. It is only because of the ridiculous hegemony of our system of higher learning that such affronts to good taste exist. Design by committee blows.
Let me state at the outset that I am not an anti-capitalist. Quite the contrary. I think free markets are awesome, unfairly denigrated, and usually blamed for things that are actually the result of unfree markets. This book is a classic case.
This book is a chore in every sense: to buy, to carry, to read, to cite. No consumer would choose this book of their own free will. For the cost, you could buy Chaucer's works as a multi-volume set instead (think Norton Critical Editions). This solution would be more pleasurable to read and less likely to give you a hernia. It is also a pain to cite from Riverside when you want to delineate various works, critical introductions, etc. "But Dave," you say, "its a one-volume authoritative edition!" So. What possible reason is there for forcing everything between two covers? Price? Since when do colleges care about the cost of textbooks? Convenience? What about this book is convenient? No, this book screams "I don't give a crap about the reader. You're gonna buy this big-ass book and you're gonna like it. You will never read this book after college anyway so who cares. This form is convenient and functional for the institutions and our convenience matters more than yours."
If consumers [students] had any say in the textbook market, this garbage would not exist. It is only because of the ridiculous hegemony of our system of higher learning that such affronts to good taste exist. Design by committee blows.
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