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Title: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer ISBN: 0-553-21082-3 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 February, 1982 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.34 (64 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A Must-Read
Comment: In addition to its literary importance, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are an enchanting reading experience. The Bantam Classic edition presents the tales in Modern English translation alongside the Middle English so that one can fully appreciate the tales as Chaucer composed them, or if you're just in the mood for a fun romp you can speedily read the translation. The tales themselves move at a quick pace, so beginners will probably enjoy the modern version much more.
The Canterbury Tales revolve around a group of 29 on a pilgrimage to Canterbury Cathedral to pay homage to the martyred St. Thomas a'Becket. The members of the pilgrimage come from all walks of life, including a Knight, Prioress, Merchant, Miller, the ever-entertaining Wife of Bath, and many others. The Canterbury Tales are the pilgrims' stories and each one reflects the individual character's personality beautifully. One can't help but feel a part of this lively group.
Whether you like a bawdy, raucous tale or a morally sound fable you will definitely find something entertaining in this book. I laughed out loud several times and found Chaucer's use of symbolism, wit, wisdom, and the glimpse into 14th Century life absolutely fascinating.
Rating: 3
Summary: I hope you've got a lot of spare time...
Comment: 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.
Rating: 5
Summary: Chaucer is simply sumblime !
Comment: There have been few writers and poets with the same vigor, fortiude and knowledge like that of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is verily in the same league as Sidney, Shakespeare, Donne and Dante. He is writing is as I wrote in the title sublime; it is like he was touched by the hand of God himself and with that pen his writing came to life. Alas, this is an art that is mostly lost these days and most writers of the last 100 years are mediocre to bad compared to the old masters.
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Title: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, Sir Orfeo by J.R.R. Tolkien ISBN: 0345277600 Publisher: Del Rey Pub. Date: 12 December, 1979 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney ISBN: 0393320979 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: February, 2001 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: The Inferno of Dante : Bilingual Edition by Robert Pinsky, Dante ISBN: 0374524521 Publisher: Noonday Press Pub. Date: 30 March, 1996 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: The Canterbury Tales (Cliffs Notes) by James L. Roberts ISBN: 0764585908 Publisher: Cliffs Notes Pub. Date: 22 May, 2000 List Price(USD): $5.99 |
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Title: Divine Comedy : Inferno; Purgatorio; Paradiso (in one volume) by Dante ISBN: 0679433139 Publisher: Everyman's Library Pub. Date: 28 April, 1992 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
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