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Summary: The best version of Chaucer for most readers
Review: Essentially every other version of Chaucer is either in the original Middle English, which is very hard, or in a modern translation, which hardly seems worth the bother. This edition reaches a happy middle: the original language is maintained, word for word, but spelling is modernized. (This is incidentally, how ALL general versions of Shakespeare are edited-of course, Shakespeare's English is a lot closer to our own, but his work would still be much more difficult to read if you had to decipher the original spelling.) Of course, a few commonly used words and a greater number of rare words have not survived into modern English, and the reader needs to learn these; a list is provided. But that is much easier than having to also decipher virtually every word because its spelling is not recognizable. Naturally, pronunciation changes over time, as does spelling, so some of the rhythm and rhyme doesn't quite work. But it's more than passable, and in any case reconstructions of Middle English pronunciation are all hypothetical, with scholarly disagreements. There is nothing wrong with the Middle English editions for those with the time and inclination to tackle them. But after discovering Murphy's edition, I felt almost like I had been hoodwinked into believing that Middle English was much further from Modern English than it really is.
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Summary: Read the Middle English version!
Review: Chaucer has the talent of telling a good story, and if you read a Modern English version, the tales are enjoyable, but so much is lost. Chaucer uses words that can give a story many different meanings. If you really want to get into Chaucer, look at the words that he uses...they can tell a story of their own or just give insight into the deeper meaning (and there is always a deeper meaning). You may want to read a Modern English translation first, just to understand what the overall message is, but I recommend reading the Middle English version to discover the deeper meaning that Chaucer is trying to get across.
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Summary: The Canteerbury Tales
Review: Hi everyone- I havent read this version but in Sophomore Honors English at the high school which I attend we read the prologues and tales of the Wife of Bath and the Pardoner. I look forward to reading the other tales independently. For all who like to have people raise their eyebrows as they see you reading such a prestigious sounding book (which, unlike Shakespeare, requires little explanation if you are familiar with the times) you should look into this work. Chaucer does an excellent job hiding sub-plots within the compelling tales. This is a classic which I will read without being forced to by my own will for a 4.0 GPA :-). Its clever rhyming scheme keeps interest during the slower spots (which are few and far between). All of the pilgrims can be easily related to and represent real problems in society during Chaucer's time. The Canterbury Tales is worth reading and reccommending.
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Summary: Champiounes!
Review: Alle that I can saye Is that these booke hath Mayde my daye Goode! Verye verye goode!
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Summary: I hope you've got a lot of spare time...
Review: This version of the Canterbury Tales (Everyman) contains all of the tales (including the rather tedious prose tales), and is in the original language. As anyone planning to read the Tales will be aware, old English is not easy! This book takes a lot of time to read. Is it worth it? Yes. But a qualified yes. As an insight into life during this time in history, and particularly as a demonstration of how little humans have changed over the centuries, this book is very useful. Many of the tales are quite amusing and interesting. On the other hand, many tales are filled with rather drawn out, tedious sections, and a couple are just plain boring. For a person who wishes to read most of the major English classics, this book must be read, and I think the only way to really appreciate it is in its original form, not in modernised English. For this purpose, the Everyman version is excellent, as it features convenient gloss on each page, so looking up difficult words can be done at a glance, which disturbs the flow a lot less. I would highly recommend trying to read the book in as short a space of time as possible, though, because you do get used to the grammar and vocabulary, and while it is fresh in your mind, it allows you to read the rest of the book with a lot less glossing. Be aware that I read this book for personal interest, not as part of any particular course, so I am reviewing from the point of view of a general reader, not a literary scholar.
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Summary: Canterbury Tales - Which Version is Best For You?
Review: Over some period I have read several translations of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. My first experience, selections in a highschool text, was not promising. Translating poetry from one language to another is difficult and often unsuccessful. Translating Chaucer from Middle English is not much easier. Our language has changed dramatically in the last 600 years, to the point that Middle English is undecipherable. For example, we read Chaucer's description of the Knight's appearance: Of fustian he wered a gipoun (Of course cloth he wore a doublet) Al bismotered with his habergeoun (All rust-spotted by his coat-of-mail) Obviously, a glossary, diligence, and time are required for reading the original Chaucer. If you choose to do so, the Riverside Chaucer edition (edited by L. Benson) and the Norton Critical Edition (edited by Olson and Kolve) are highly recommended. The Signet Classic paperback edited by D. R. Howard modernizes the spelling a bit, but largely adheres to the original Chaucer and might be an easier introduction to Middle English. Most of us read whatever version is assigned for classwork. However, I expect that you will find it quite helpful to pick-up an additional version or two of Canterbury Tales. A slightly different translation may entirely surprise you - you may even find it enjoyable. I suggest that you look for these versions: Selected Canterbury Tales, Dover Thrift edition - provides a poetic, rather than literal interpretation, and is quite readable. The collection of tales is fairly small, however. Canterbury Tales, Penguin edition, translated by Nevill Coghill, is an excellent poetic translation. It is a nearly complete collection. The Canterbury Tales, Bantam Classic edited by Hieatt, uses the "facing page" format with the original Chaucer on the left and a modern literal translation on the right page. I found the literal translation a little wooden, but this edition can be quite helpful if you need some understanding of Middle English. (A guide to phonetics, grammar, spellings, and a glossary is provided.) Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Barrons Educational Series, uses an "Interlinear Translation" format in which each line of Middle English is followed by a modern translation (literal to make the comparison easier). I rather like this approach. Canterbury Tales, John Murray Publishers, London is hard to find, but provides a partial translation to modern English, maintaining as much as possible of the Middle English. This is a rather clever approach, somewhat risky, but the translator H. L. Hitchins pulls it off. With some effort I could follow the text without continually referring to a glossary and in a limited way I was "reading Middle English". Canterbury Tales, Pocket Books, prose translation by R. M. Lumiansky, is easy to read, but while the prose format adheres to the storyline, it is only a shadow of the poetic Chaucer. It might prove useful if you are not comfortable with poetry. Good luck and I hope your expereince with Chaucer goes well.
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Summary: Canterbury Tales
Review: Chaucer is as religious, if not more so, than his Italian counterpart Dante. The Canterbury Tales, as mentioned in most of the review prior to mine, recounts the soujourn of twenty-nine pilgrams to Canterbury. Chaucer had original intended, or so it would seem, to write four tales for each pilgrim--two to be told going to Canterbury and two to be told on the return from Canterbury. It is very likely that Chaucer omitted the twenty-five or so tales that he did for a stoutly religious reason--that once you meet God in your life (which was the intent of a pilgramage) there is no returning. This is why the pilgrims are never seen leaving Canterbury. In all, the tales tell a very strong moral tale. Nearly every line of this wonderful work can be interpreted with a religious overtone and it is no doubt that Chaucer intended for it to be this way. In closing I would like to make reference to a review I read on this page. The short story for in no way came out of this work. The development of the short story can only be attributed Edgar Allan Poe. To suggest that the short story evolved from this would be a grave error. That aside this is a wonderful tale on the surface level and a morally deep tale if you chose to read into it.
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Summary: invaluable
Review: The authors have provided the quintessential study guide to The Canterbury Tales. This book is invaluable.
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Summary: A Review
Review: The Canterbury Tales was a notably written book,with much discription and nice tidbits of information interweaved into a perfect story. It was very interesting to read this book and I reccommend it for any others who like to read short little tales as are in this book.
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Summary: A Good Translation but still disappointed
Review: This version of the Canterbury Tales in modern English is brilliant. Nonetheless I was deeply disappointed in finding that the Parson's Tale was omitted completely, the reason being that "it does not interest the general public". I disagree with such a sweeping statement.
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