Rating: - We were not so very different, 700 years ago...
As is proved by the delightfully wicked set of stories mirroring in some respects Boccaccio's Decameron, which predated Chaucer, but which expand on bawdiness and give a fascinating insight into human nature: the very language is stripped of all ambiguity: for example, 'and sodeynly anon, Damyan gan pullen up hir smock and in he throng' is almost something out of a Jilly Cooper, although far more exotic!
And if you don't like the olde English, you can read the translation, which I think is extremely helpful if you're new to Chaucer or don't warm immediately to the lingo.
Rating: - Understandable and Enjoyable
The book I am reviewing is the Bantam Classic Edition translated and edited by A. Kent Hieatt and Constance Hieatt. This volume includes a critical introduction and a helpful glossary written by the editors. The text is arranged in a format utilizing a facing-page translation.
Chaucer spoke and wrote in the London dialect of Middle English which was popular during his time. In THE CANTERBURY TALES he used the device of having a diverse group of people tell two tales each while traveling together on a pilgrimage from London to Canterbury, the location of the Shrine of St. Thomas A' Becket.
Almost every social type of the fourteenth century is represented among the pilgrims such as a knight, lawyer, doctor, cook, miller, nun, merchant, monk, priest, squire and several others. Chaucer is also one of the pilgrims. Readers will recognize many of the characters as being reminiscent of their twenty-first century contemporaries. The physician, for instance, loves gold and makes a lot of money during times of pestilence. He also has a close and mutually profitable relationship with an apothecary.
Anyone who recalls being introduced to Chaucer as a student long ago will find the modern texts and translations a welcome change. The result is a Chaucer who is both understandable and very enjoyable.
Rating: - Travelling mercies...
In Chaucer's work, 'The Canterbury Tales', perhaps the greatest of English literary works from the period of the language known as Middle English, there is one particular piece that have always stood out for me.
'A Clerk ther was of Oxenford also,'
This is perhaps my favourite character, as when I first read it, it seemed to epitomise what I hoped for in my own life.
'That unto logik hadde longe y-go. .... For him was lever have at his beddes heed Twenty bokes, clad in blak or reed,
Of Aristotle and his philosophye, Than robes riche, of fithele, or gay sautrye, But al be that he was a philosophre, Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre, But al that he mighte of his freendes hente, On bokes and on lerninge he it spente, and bisily gan for the soules preye Of hem that yaf him wherwith to scoleye. .... ...gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.'
Every now and then I cannot help but re-read this part of the Prologue, for a reminder of what I'm aiming for in my own life.
Chaucer was son of a wine merchant, something near and dear to my heart. Chaucer was well-read, well-phrased, well-mannered, industrious in literary and legal/administrative pursuits, as I trust I will become, if not already so qualified.
As one can see from the above examples, English has changed much over the past 600 years, but not so much as to make these passages unrecognisable. Compare for yourself with a modern translation, and see how much you can decipher.
Chaucer is one of the first great English authors of name; most (but not all) literary output in English prior to this time was anonymous. Living in the 1300s, he held administrative posts of importance under Kings from the time of Edward III to Henry IV. Never one to shrink from spending too much money (he had to reapply for pensions and ask for advances several times in his life) or shying away from controversy (he fell out of and came back into favour several times). When he died, he was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey, in a section on the south side that has since become Poet's Corner, largely due to Chaucer, the first great English poet, having been buried there.
In addition to his magnus opus, 'The Canterbury Tales', a collection of stories with prologue told by pilgrims on their journey to Canterbury (car radios and in-flight movies were rare in those days), Chaucer wrote minor poems to suit various occasions (his first record as poet comes from having written a poem as elegy on the death of John of Gaunt's first wife, Blanche, in 1369), and the major work for which he was noted for 'Troilus and Criseyde', which showed his sense of humour, power of observation and attention to detail, and keen dramatic skills in language. This work is often compared to Dante and Boccaccio, perhaps the most famous poets of the day. 'The Canterbury Tales' is actually intended to be much longer - 120 tales told by 30 pilgrims (two each on the way to Canterbury, and two each returning). As it is, there are only 24 tales plus a prologue - had it been completed, it would be by far the longest poem in the English language.
There is a strong, practical side to Chaucer's writing, sophisticated yet not aloof and removed from the affairs of the world, cultured yet in tune with the better (and more interesting) aspects of the common people, too.
This edition by Larry Benson is designed for those who only want the Canterbury Tales, not the other writings of Chaucer, but want a set of the complete tales and prologue from standard texts. This comes from the Riverside Chaucer, with introductory notes explaining plot, versification, and various issues that might arise in the translation of the tales. The indexes include one for proper names. There is also a timeline showing Chaucer's life that is handy for students.
For those who want the Canterbury Tales in good form, this is a good volume to get.
The Canterbury Tales: Audio CDs (Modern English format): v. 1 (The great tales) Reviews
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