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The Life and Writings of Geoffrey Chaucer
(12 lectures, 30 minutes/lecture) Course Lecture Titles 1. Introduction to Chaucer's Life and World 2. The Scope of Chaucer's Work 3. Chaucer's Language 4. Chaucerian Themes and Terms 5. Troilus and Criseyde-Love and Philosophy 6. Troilus and Criseyde-History and Fiction 7. The Canterbury Tales-The General Prologue 8. The Canterbury Tales-The First Fragment 9. The Wife of Bath 10. The Pardoner 11. "God's Plenty"-The Variety of The Canterbury Tales 12. Chaucer's Living Influence
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1990
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38 people want to read
About the author
Seth Lerer
33 books19 followersProfessor Seth Lerer (1956 -) is a contemporary Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Stanford University, specialising in historical analyses of the English language, in addition to critical analyses of the works of several authors, including in particular Geoffrey Chaucer.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 25, 2020
I had a literature professor in college who opened up literature for me and helped create a passion that has lasted the rest of my life. Seth Lerer reminds me of that professor.
Lerer won the 2010 Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism and the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism for Children’s Literature: A Readers’ History from Aesop to Harry Potter. He is a recognized expert on Geoffrey Chaucer.
I have listened to (not reviewed) Lerer’s history of the English language and enjoyed it thoroughly.* Lerer speaks engagingly and he is precise and clear in his vocalizations of all forms of English. When I decided that my paltry knowledge of the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, needed to be augmented, there seemed no better choice than Lerer.
Particularly when we are engaged with poetry, an excellent reading can make a substantial contribution. When it is in a foreign language, the ability to draw forth all the strands of the poem can be enhanced by the reader. For me, Middle English is a foreign language and Lerer calls it forth effortlessly.
Chaucer is considered by many to be the first great English poet. Lerer makes a strong case for how Chaucer changed the form of poetry and influenced the evolution of the English language. The lectures range from placing Chaucer in the context of English poetry; to the various roles in life that engaged Chaucer; to the life experience that inspired his writing; to the forms that he chose for his poetry. In all of this, Leher provides a very satisfactory flow of information.
It was easy to learn a lot about Chaucer, who had “a talent for creating unforgettable characters and keenly painting social relationships.” I would certainly recommend listening to the course before diving into any of Chaucer’s writings.
*That course https://www.thegreatcourses.com/cours...
consists of 36 lectures. This course of 12 lectures provides a nice “taste” of how Lerer approaches the history of the English language (particularly in lecture #3).
Lerer won the 2010 Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism and the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism for Children’s Literature: A Readers’ History from Aesop to Harry Potter. He is a recognized expert on Geoffrey Chaucer.
I have listened to (not reviewed) Lerer’s history of the English language and enjoyed it thoroughly.* Lerer speaks engagingly and he is precise and clear in his vocalizations of all forms of English. When I decided that my paltry knowledge of the poet, Geoffrey Chaucer, needed to be augmented, there seemed no better choice than Lerer.
Particularly when we are engaged with poetry, an excellent reading can make a substantial contribution. When it is in a foreign language, the ability to draw forth all the strands of the poem can be enhanced by the reader. For me, Middle English is a foreign language and Lerer calls it forth effortlessly.
Chaucer is considered by many to be the first great English poet. Lerer makes a strong case for how Chaucer changed the form of poetry and influenced the evolution of the English language. The lectures range from placing Chaucer in the context of English poetry; to the various roles in life that engaged Chaucer; to the life experience that inspired his writing; to the forms that he chose for his poetry. In all of this, Leher provides a very satisfactory flow of information.
It was easy to learn a lot about Chaucer, who had “a talent for creating unforgettable characters and keenly painting social relationships.” I would certainly recommend listening to the course before diving into any of Chaucer’s writings.
*That course https://www.thegreatcourses.com/cours...
consists of 36 lectures. This course of 12 lectures provides a nice “taste” of how Lerer approaches the history of the English language (particularly in lecture #3).
March 7, 2023
Basic overview.
August 28, 2016
Of course, Chaucer. He's sometimes called the Father of English Poetry. But I never knew so much about him, his works, or the history of his age and influences, not by a long shot. The lectures are always spellbinding, combining the language of Chaucer read aloud with great vigor, translations, and the really brilliant stagecraft in the very voice of Professor Lerer. Lerer keeps a high level of energy, a splendid repast of knowledge, and a marvelous setting of insights and metacommentary. I am so caught up that I am studying again Medieval England.
June 12, 2022
This was a great lecture series on Chaucer, who I imagine often seems ancient and boring, given the unfortunate way English literature is frequently taught to students. My own previous experience with Chaucer was limited to my high school AP English class, where for reasons unknown our teacher forced us to muddle through some passages in the original Middle English, with no translation provided. We were supposed to somehow divine what the words meant, I guess? But I think we all just decided we hated Chaucer and would never read any medieval texts again. Alas it took me 20 years to give Chaucer and The Canterbury Tales another chance, which is really too bad. At least the wonder of technology means that excellent professors like Lerer are now available to anyone with an Audible credit.
In this course Lerer reads many passages in Middle English before also reading the translation, and interestingly it was much easier to guess the words' meanings when I heard them aloud. I appreciated the professor's clear passion for, and extensive knowledge of, his subject. Personally I would have preferred more focus on the tremendous influence Chaucer had on later literature and authors. Lerer does devote time in the last lecture to this topic, but it seemed he only just scratched the surface.
Overall 4 stars, and highly recommend if you're seeking a better understanding of English literature and its foundations.
In this course Lerer reads many passages in Middle English before also reading the translation, and interestingly it was much easier to guess the words' meanings when I heard them aloud. I appreciated the professor's clear passion for, and extensive knowledge of, his subject. Personally I would have preferred more focus on the tremendous influence Chaucer had on later literature and authors. Lerer does devote time in the last lecture to this topic, but it seemed he only just scratched the surface.
Overall 4 stars, and highly recommend if you're seeking a better understanding of English literature and its foundations.
October 6, 2022
An interesting listen, and Lerer's enthusiasm for the subject really comes through.
I know the exact pronunciation of Chaucerian English is very much up for debate, and I am sure there are reasons why Lerer pronounces it the way he does, but it is not pleasant to listen to! Far too harsh and laboured, and sometimes downright painful on the ear. A quick search on YouTube will bring up recitations that flow better and more fluently while still preserving the muscularity and meter of Chaucer's poetry.
None the less, I wanted some fairly light infotainment to listen to as I painted, and this did the job well enough.
I know the exact pronunciation of Chaucerian English is very much up for debate, and I am sure there are reasons why Lerer pronounces it the way he does, but it is not pleasant to listen to! Far too harsh and laboured, and sometimes downright painful on the ear. A quick search on YouTube will bring up recitations that flow better and more fluently while still preserving the muscularity and meter of Chaucer's poetry.
None the less, I wanted some fairly light infotainment to listen to as I painted, and this did the job well enough.
January 7, 2022
So now I can appreciate and understand The Canterbury Tales better than before. Of course, these lectures covered Chaucer’s other writings as well but I listened to them mostly because I had just survived The Canterbury Tales. I admit that I read a translation.
These are a perfectly enjoyable series of lectures and this despite the fact that Professor Lerer kept quoting long passages in the original Middle English, which did try my patience a bit.
So would I go back and read more Chaucer? Not likely.
These are a perfectly enjoyable series of lectures and this despite the fact that Professor Lerer kept quoting long passages in the original Middle English, which did try my patience a bit.
So would I go back and read more Chaucer? Not likely.
January 3, 2023
I have always really been intrigued by Chaucer and his position in the Middle English period. Honestly, it was less about the actual pieces he wrote and more about the history of his time. I hate that we lump this time into a "Dark Ages" of sorts, which seems untrue when you read his work and consider how society was moving forward. This is a great class to listen to if you get a chance!
May 20, 2025
I really enjoyed this course! I’ve been trying to read the Canterbury Tales and S T R U G G L I N G. Having some additional context to the patterns within the stories as well as additional historical context around Chaucer’s life helps tremendously.
September 11, 2021
I recall greatly enjoying this course.
June 8, 2022
first "great courses" audiobook I listened to, made me want to try them all out. awesome course with a very knowledgeable and helpful lecturer, and extra points for its humanist approach.
March 13, 2017
Do not do as I did: I recommend listening to these lectures BEFORE rereading Chaucer. I have not read THE CANTERBURY TALES in full since I was an undergraduate, so much has been forgotten. I repeatedly found that Lerer gave some great context for understanding a tale, but I found this after reading the tale, so the ideas suggested by Lerer were not in my head while reading. This is a loss. My only negative comment about the lectures is that there are not enough of them. Each is a gem, but there is so much more to say and Lerer does not have the room to say it.
June 15, 2016
Harry Bailey...we hardly knew ye!
Date:June 15, 2016
" This is a great survey course and reintroduction to the works of a man considered the father of (modern) English poetry. Professor Lerer's spirited delivery and recitations from the lyrical middle English poetry are simply delightful...the course is highly recommended to all those folks who had only a glimpse of Chaucer in high school, and hadn't thought much about it ever since. I'm currently listening my way through a modern translation by Neville Coghill...since I found that I really don't have the 'coillons' to read it.
Professor Lerer's readings and analyses from "The Canterbury Tales", Chaucer's most famous work, are fascinating both in their simplicity and complexity...these are much more than the ribald tales of a bunch of strangers passing the time in an inn, but rather relationships among groups of people and excluded or non-normative groups. The Pardoner, Prioress and His Squire, The Wife of Bath and The Nun's Priest all have different stories to tell that reveal different aspects of how we all get along (or at least 'should' get along).
Again, highly recommended, if for no other reason that it was fun to listen to Dr Lerer read Chaucer the way it was meant to be heard. This course is often on sale for less than $1 a lecture (when you have the oft-offered coupon.)"
Date:June 15, 2016
" This is a great survey course and reintroduction to the works of a man considered the father of (modern) English poetry. Professor Lerer's spirited delivery and recitations from the lyrical middle English poetry are simply delightful...the course is highly recommended to all those folks who had only a glimpse of Chaucer in high school, and hadn't thought much about it ever since. I'm currently listening my way through a modern translation by Neville Coghill...since I found that I really don't have the 'coillons' to read it.
Professor Lerer's readings and analyses from "The Canterbury Tales", Chaucer's most famous work, are fascinating both in their simplicity and complexity...these are much more than the ribald tales of a bunch of strangers passing the time in an inn, but rather relationships among groups of people and excluded or non-normative groups. The Pardoner, Prioress and His Squire, The Wife of Bath and The Nun's Priest all have different stories to tell that reveal different aspects of how we all get along (or at least 'should' get along).
Again, highly recommended, if for no other reason that it was fun to listen to Dr Lerer read Chaucer the way it was meant to be heard. This course is often on sale for less than $1 a lecture (when you have the oft-offered coupon.)"
October 27, 2022
12 audio lectures plus a 64 page pdf of notes to accompany the lectures.
Chaucer was the original writer with a day job; he was a public servant who at one stage was responsible for organising the kings jousts. [A Knight’s tale? write what you know, eh?] He went on diplomatic missions to Europe and clearly read a lot of the current European writers, some of whom he translated.
We do not have an example of his handwriting but we know he took commissions. The Book of the Duchess (c. 1369) is an elegy on the death of the wife of John of Gaunt, Blanche. [white = blanc in French]
All of his works appeared in copy form after his death and were credited as his. Only 80 copies of his manuscripts remain which is proof of his popularity [exceeded only by de Montfort’s Arthur tales].
Wait, the pardoner is a gay man? cackles.
Professor Lehrer clearly adores his subject; his readings are enthusiastic and wonderful, bringing it to life.
4 stars
Chaucer was the original writer with a day job; he was a public servant who at one stage was responsible for organising the kings jousts. [A Knight’s tale? write what you know, eh?] He went on diplomatic missions to Europe and clearly read a lot of the current European writers, some of whom he translated.
We do not have an example of his handwriting but we know he took commissions. The Book of the Duchess (c. 1369) is an elegy on the death of the wife of John of Gaunt, Blanche. [white = blanc in French]
All of his works appeared in copy form after his death and were credited as his. Only 80 copies of his manuscripts remain which is proof of his popularity [exceeded only by de Montfort’s Arthur tales].
Wait, the pardoner is a gay man? cackles.
Professor Lehrer clearly adores his subject; his readings are enthusiastic and wonderful, bringing it to life.
4 stars
July 25, 2012
I've learned more about Chaucer in the first 50 pages than in a full-year course as an undergraduate. This is a dense book, but the rewards are present on nearly every page.
November 2, 2016
It does a great job of presenting what Chaucer`s project was. Very good to listen to while doing something manual.
October 5, 2021
Has anyone rewritten it for the Zoom era?
September 27, 2022
Loved this— but I have read Canterbury Tales. Read that before you embark on this profound course.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews