Whoever best acquits himself, and tells The most amusing and instructive tale, Shall have a dinner, paid for by us all... In Chaucer's most ambitious poem, The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387), a group of pilgrims assembles in an inn just outside London and agree to entertain each other on the way to Canterbury by telling stories. The pilgrims come from all ranks of society, from the crusading Knight and burly Miller to the worldly Monk and lusty Wife of Bath. Their tales are as variousas the tellers, including romance, bawdy comedy, beast fable, learned debate, parable, and Eastern adventure. The resulting collection gives us a set of characters so vivid that they have often been taken as portraits from real life, and a series of stories as hilarious in their comedy as they are affecting in their tragedy. Even after 600 years, their account of the human condition seems both fresh and true. This new edition of David Wright's acclaimed translation includes a new critical introduction and invaluable notes by a leading Chaucer scholar.
The Canterbury Tales (Oxford World's Classics)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
Review
"David Wright is a fine poet, and he has translated the Tales with crisp brilliance and fidelity into classic verse...On every page he offers at least a few lines that make one smile with pleasure. This version ought to be on every school syllabus. The translation is certainly the best we have ever had." --Peter Levi, Sunday Telegraph
"David Wright's new verse translation of The Canterbury Tales is done with great skill, literary tact, and polish....it is caring and resourceful. It both stands up well in its own right, and is likely to send the reader back to Chaucer." --British Book News
"David Wright's new verse translation of The Canterbury Tales is done with great skill, literary tact, and polish....it is caring and resourceful. It both stands up well in its own right, and is likely to send the reader back to Chaucer." --British Book News
About the Author
David Wright (1920-94) was a poet, author, and translator. Born in South Africa, he was deafened by scarlet fever at the age of 7 and emigrated to England when he was 14. He co-founded the literary review X which he co-edited from 1959-62, and published several books of verse, a translation of Beowulf, and edited anthologies of verse for Penguin and Faber. Christopher Cannon has taught at UCLA, Oxford, and Cambridge. His publications include The Making of Chaucer's English: A Study of Words (2001;2005). The Grounds of English Literature (2004; 2007), and Middle English Literature: A Cultural History (2008). He has written the Foreword to the Riverside Chaucer.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
There are no customer reviews yet on Amazon.ca
5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastically readable (Oxford World's Classics edition)
April 4 2013
By DDC
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition
First off, this is a classic of English literature and you should absolutely read it. It is honest and the characters and their situations are hilarious. I assume that since you're reading reviews, you are actually considering what edition to buy. I went to the bookstore and looked at a bunch of editions before selecting this one. I found that this version is extremely readable and the language, while beautiful and a bit archaic, doesn't inhibit your enjoyment of the stories. You can flow right through them. There are generous end notes and, although I prefer footnotes because when you're reading it's a pain to jump to the end, the notes are helpful.
In short, if you are considering reading The Canterbury Tales (and you really should), the Oxford World's Classic edition is a great one to use. I recommend this edition to you and I hope this review helped you.
In short, if you are considering reading The Canterbury Tales (and you really should), the Oxford World's Classic edition is a great one to use. I recommend this edition to you and I hope this review helped you.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see the review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Poetry
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Classics > British
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Religious & Inspirational > Christian > Poetry
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Ancient, Classical & Medieval
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > British
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > British & Irish
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > English Literature
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
