Folio Archives 341: Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer – LIMITED EDITION 2011
TalkFolio Society Devotees
Join LibraryThing to post.
1wcarter
Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer – LIMITED EDITION 2011
Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde is only exceeded in fame by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Written as a poem in Middle English in the 1380s, it is a love story set during the siege of Troy by the Greeks. Troilus is a Trojan warrior who falls in love with Criseyde, the daughter of a Trojan priest who has gone over to the Greek camp because he has foreseen the fall of the city. Crisedye is abandoned in Troy, but is comforted by Troilus. As with most epic love stories, it is a tragic one.
I found that reading is slowly and aloud let me capture the meaning of the Middle English as well as the rhythm of the poetry. I read only a handful of pages a day while it rested for some months on a lectern in my library.
The primary volume is a facsimile of the Golden Cockrell Press edition published in 1926-7, which copies the text from the 1898 Globe edition. The facsimile is luxuriously bound in black goatskin leather blocked on front cover and spine with a design in 22-carat gold. The endpapers are plain dark blue. There are 5 full page illustrations, an elaborate title page and decorative borders on every page (although these are repeated) by Eric Gill. There is gilding on all three page edges and a dark blue ribbon page marker. It is printed on felt-marked paper and has 328 pages.
The 48 page commentary volume is quarter-bound in black buckram with dark blue Merida paper covers and a paper front cover title label. It contains essays by Roderick Cave about the Golden Cockerell Press (with a few monochrome photos) and Barry Windeatt on Chaucer’s masterpiece.
The black buckram Solander box houses both volumes and has gilt titling on the spine. It measures 34.5x22.5x8.1cm. The original price was £375 and it was limited to 1250 copies, mine is number 717.
The Folio Society published a standard edition of Troilus and Criseyde in 1990.
Just to confuse matters, the Folio Society also published a limited edition of the Shakespearean play Troilus and Cressida (notice the slightly different spelling) in the same year as one of the letterpress Shakespeare series. This play is loosely based on Chaucer’s poem.
1990 Standard edition
2011 LIMITED EDITION
Commentary volume
Page from Folio Society catalogue
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde is only exceeded in fame by Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Written as a poem in Middle English in the 1380s, it is a love story set during the siege of Troy by the Greeks. Troilus is a Trojan warrior who falls in love with Criseyde, the daughter of a Trojan priest who has gone over to the Greek camp because he has foreseen the fall of the city. Crisedye is abandoned in Troy, but is comforted by Troilus. As with most epic love stories, it is a tragic one.
I found that reading is slowly and aloud let me capture the meaning of the Middle English as well as the rhythm of the poetry. I read only a handful of pages a day while it rested for some months on a lectern in my library.
The primary volume is a facsimile of the Golden Cockrell Press edition published in 1926-7, which copies the text from the 1898 Globe edition. The facsimile is luxuriously bound in black goatskin leather blocked on front cover and spine with a design in 22-carat gold. The endpapers are plain dark blue. There are 5 full page illustrations, an elaborate title page and decorative borders on every page (although these are repeated) by Eric Gill. There is gilding on all three page edges and a dark blue ribbon page marker. It is printed on felt-marked paper and has 328 pages.
The 48 page commentary volume is quarter-bound in black buckram with dark blue Merida paper covers and a paper front cover title label. It contains essays by Roderick Cave about the Golden Cockerell Press (with a few monochrome photos) and Barry Windeatt on Chaucer’s masterpiece.
The black buckram Solander box houses both volumes and has gilt titling on the spine. It measures 34.5x22.5x8.1cm. The original price was £375 and it was limited to 1250 copies, mine is number 717.
The Folio Society published a standard edition of Troilus and Criseyde in 1990.
Just to confuse matters, the Folio Society also published a limited edition of the Shakespearean play Troilus and Cressida (notice the slightly different spelling) in the same year as one of the letterpress Shakespeare series. This play is loosely based on Chaucer’s poem.
1990 Standard edition
2011 LIMITED EDITION
Commentary volume
Page from Folio Society catalogue
An index of the other illustrated reviews in the "Folio Archives" series can be viewed here.
2David_Mauduit
Can native speakers really understand this kind of old english?
3gmacaree
>2 David_Mauduit: With some effort and some notes
4Jayked
>2 David_Mauduit:
Technically it's middle rather then old English. Back in the day I studied all of the Canterbury Tales Prologue and several of the Tales in fifth-year High School, with no great difficulty. I expect it was part of the curriculum for all Scottish high schools. The choir learned and performed a choral version of the Prologue in Middle English by a composer whose name escapes me.. John Ireland, perhaps? I imagine that today's pupils are protected from such demands on their dormant faculties.
Technically it's middle rather then old English. Back in the day I studied all of the Canterbury Tales Prologue and several of the Tales in fifth-year High School, with no great difficulty. I expect it was part of the curriculum for all Scottish high schools. The choir learned and performed a choral version of the Prologue in Middle English by a composer whose name escapes me.. John Ireland, perhaps? I imagine that today's pupils are protected from such demands on their dormant faculties.
5cwl
When I was in school, I used the Riverside edition whilst the teacher taught from a modern translation. At one point, she spoke at length about the connotations and meanings of a specific word and why Chaucer might have used it. I quietly raised my hand after all this and simply stated that Chaucer had not chosen this word at all and had actually written something quite different. I was very popular with this teacher, as one can imagine.
6Powderfinger69
Much easier to understand if you take the trouble to learn how to pronounce the vowels...
7ultrarightist
>5 cwl: I should not be surprised, but still...wow! I'm guessing this was in an American public school?
