The Canterbury Tales

Skimmed 7/4/14 on vacation (BR Ranch, Calabash beach); three husband/wife stories (333, 375, 463): Widow of Bath-dominate, the Clerk's tale-obsequious, the Franklin's tale-ideal (article "The Poetry of Love, marital wisdom in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales," David M. Wright, Memoria Press, The Classical Teacher, late summer 2014

penitence/repentance 543

sin/lust/flesh 561ff

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by pilgrims in Medieval England who are going to pray at Canterbury Cathedral. Chaucer uses characters from all aspects of the society - knights, merchants, tradesmen, religious - allowing the human nature to be revealed where the 7 Deadly Sins (pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust) are counterbalanced by virtues (humility, contentment, patience, fortitude, mercy, moderation, chastity).

The tales at times were a bit boring while others were funny and a bit lewd. There were love stories, morality tales, fables, and satires. The characters each seem to have a quality that added something to their story.

Sometime I may try to find a translation in Modern English and see if I enjoy the stories more. ( )

Read in a Penguin Classics translation from the 50s, this is a re-read for me. I last read this approaching 20 years ago when I needed distracting on a long haul flight. And having read it again, I can see why it did it's job! It's not exactly an easy read, it demands attention and concentration - no skimming here. but it rewards the attention with some classic pieces of story telling. The concept was enormous, each of the pilgrims (and there are approaching 30 identified) were to tell two tales. He didn't even get as far as one tale each, the work remains unfinished, but some of the stories are just sparkling studies of human nature even now. A lot of the stories are relayed as if the pilgrim is telling a story they have heard elsewhere, so a lot of them can be traced to other sources - there's little in the narrative arc that is original. What is all Chaucer is the linking passages, the representation of all of life in one group. They are a mixture of positions in life and it is noticeable that the ladies represented in the group and in the tales tend to be very strong females - very few shrinking violets here. For his time, that strikes me as noticeable. The introduction, when the pilgrims are introduces, could be (with a little tweaking) any group of random strangers you could gather together today. OK, there are a few more religious job titles then than now (they'd be bankers or management consultants now) but they're such an assorted bunch that they seem to spring to life as you read. I think that's part of the charm, this is the English at the birth of a national consciousness - these are my people, this is part of what makes us who we are. ( )

I love the Canterbury Tales. I took an entire class dedicated to the study of this beautiful piece of work. What I love about this collection of tales is that there is something for everyone; tons of dirty humor, some love stories, tragic stories, morality stories, animal fables, a satire on chivalry tales, poetry...

There are over 20 individual stories, some that were unfortunately left unfinished. Each tale is told by a different person in this group of pilgrims making their way to Canterbury Cathedral. They are all from different walks of life; there is a Knight, a squire, a scholar, a prioress, a priest, a pardoner, etc. They decide to tell stories in order to pass the time as they travel.

For those who are not used to Middle English is that you can read one at a time and/or skip around (after you read the General Prologue), and though you may miss a few things about the actual pilgrimage (some of the story tellers argue and whatnot), the tales themselves are still very enjoyable.

I suggest finding a copy that has both the original spelling and the Middle English spelling in order to enjoy the full impact of the language even if you are not a Middle English expert.

It is a delightful collection of tales! I wish more people would read and enjoy them! ( )

Subtitle: With an Introduction, Notes and a Glossary. John Matthews Manly was the late professor at the University of Chicago. This volume provides all the extant Fragments, I-X of the work planned by Chaucer, which he may never have completed. Still, by its conception, nothing is missed.

In addition, Professor Manly provides a biography and description of Chaucer, his associations, and England of the 14th century. He outlines the Tales themselves, and introduces the Language and Versification. Concludes with a chapter on "Astronomy and Astrology", and Reference List. An INDEX is attached. Finally, seven black and white plates of illuminations in various manuscripts and cassones are included.

This volume is eating itself, the pages falling to the acid's sad onslaught. What genius thought to add a chemical to insure self-destruction?