The Canterbury Tales
Nevill Coghill’s masterly and vivid modern English verse translation with all the vigor and poetry of Chaucer’s fourteenth-century Middle English
A Penguin Classic
In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer created one of the great touchstones of English literature, a masterly collection of chivalric romances, moral allegories and low farce. A story-telling competition between a group of pilgrims from all walks of life is the occasion for a series of tales that range from the Knight’s account of courtly love and the ebullient Wife of Bath’s Arthurian legend, to the ribald anecdotes of the Miller and the Cook. Rich and diverse, The Canterbury Tales offer us an unrivalled glimpse into the life and mind of medieval England.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
A Penguin Classic
In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer created one of the great touchstones of English literature, a masterly collection of chivalric romances, moral allegories and low farce. A story-telling competition between a group of pilgrims from all walks of life is the occasion for a series of tales that range from the Knight’s account of courtly love and the ebullient Wife of Bath’s Arthurian legend, to the ribald anecdotes of the Miller and the Cook. Rich and diverse, The Canterbury Tales offer us an unrivalled glimpse into the life and mind of medieval England.
For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Community Reviews
Witty and comical to the last. Don’t be put off by the Middle English, let your brain fill in the gaps and stick with it; you’ll be laughing in no time. The height of satire in its day.
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
Ah Chaucer, a bit ahead of Shakespeare for his writing, but a few well placed anachronisms make me question the time period of writing more and more. I admittedly read this one for school, but that made it no less enjoyable. The classics are full of literary merit (hence why they are classics) and Chaucer's Tales expose the both the good and the bad of humanity shrugging off the exterior stereotypes to find the essence of man. His tales are expertly woven through framework of both truth and lies and the reading enjoys a comfortable rhyming presence throughout making the work fly by. Starting with a prologue for introducing all the characters, the work takes the reader on a journey to Canterbuy. Since iPhones were not yet available, they told stories to pass them time; the winner upon return earning a free dinner for the best tale. His characters range from nobility to absolute filth, and each in turns weaves a tale that evokes laughter, pity, empathy and sympathy. A well-rounder literary read. ✯✯✯✯
Ah Chaucer, a bit ahead of Shakespeare for his writing, but a few well placed anachronisms make me question the time period of writing more and more. I admittedly read this one for school, but that made it no less enjoyable. The classics are full of literary merit (hence why they are classics) and Chaucer's Tales expose the both the good and the bad of humanity shrugging off the exterior stereotypes to find the essence of man. His tales are expertly woven through framework of both truth and lies and the reading enjoys a comfortable rhyming presence throughout making the work fly by. Starting with a prologue for introducing all the characters, the work takes the reader on a journey to Canterbuy. Since iPhones were not yet available, they told stories to pass them time; the winner upon return earning a free dinner for the best tale. His characters range from nobility to absolute filth, and each in turns weaves a tale that evokes laughter, pity, empathy and sympathy. A well-rounder literary read. ✯✯✯✯
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