The Wife Of Bath's Tale

By Geoffrey Chaucer

When an eclectic group of pilgrims take turns telling tales while on the road to Canterbury Cathedral, the Wife of Bath, an older woman who has been married and widowed five times, tells her tale . . . eventually. But first she shares her opinions on marriage and the role of women with her fellow pilgrims.

One of the strongest and most memorable voices in The Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath is as amusing as she is enlightening. This special edition of “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” includes the “The General Prologue,” “The Wife of Bath’s Prologue,” and “The Wife of Bath’s Tale,” in original Middle English and modern translated versions.

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• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781443426947

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340s-1400) was an English poet and civil servant. Born in London to a family of wealthy vintners, Chaucer became a page to a noblewoman as a teenager, gaining access to the court of King Edward III. He served in the English army at the beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, was captured during the siege of Rheims, and returned to England after a sizeable ransom was paid by the king. Afterward, he travelled throughout Europe, married Philippa de Roet—with whom he had four children—and eventually settled in London to study law. In 1367, Chaucer joined the royal court of Edward III, serving in a variety of roles while also writing his earliest known poem, The Book of the Duchess. In 1373, following a military expedition in Picardy, he visited Genoa and Florence where he is believed to have met both Petrarch and Boccaccio, who introduced him to the Italian poetry that would heavily influence the form and content of his own work. Chaucer was appointed to the role of comptroller of customs for the port of London in 1374, a position he would hold for the next twelve years. He is believed to have written The Canterbury Tales—his most important work and an early masterpiece of English literature—in the early 1380s, was appointed clerk of the king’s works in 1389, and, in the last decade of his life, lived on an annual pension granted him by King Richard II. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, and is recognized today as the father of English literature.

Book preview

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The Canterbury Tales:

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

In its original form and with a modern translation

Geoffrey Chaucer

HarperPerennialClassicsLogo.jpg

CONTENTS

Original Middle English

The General Prologue

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

Modern Translation

The General Prologue

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue

The Wife of Bath’s Tale

About the Author

About the Series

Copyright

About the Publisher

Middle English

The General Prologue

Here bygynneth the Book of the Tales of Caunterbury

Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote

The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,

And bathed every veyne in swich licour

Of which vertu engendred is the flour;

Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth

Inspired hath in every holt and heeth

The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne

Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,

And smale foweles maken melodye,

That slepen al the nyght with open ye

(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),

Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,

And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,

To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;

And specially from every shires ende

Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,

The hooly blisful martir for to seke,

That hem hath holpen, whan that they were seeke.

Bifil that in that seson on a day,

In Southwerk at the Tabard as I lay

Redy to wenden on my pilgrymage

To Caunterbury with ful devout corage,

At nyght was come into that hostelrye

Wel nyne and twenty in a compaignye

Of sondry folk, by aventure yfalle

In felaweshipe, and pilgrimes were they alle,

That toward Caunterbury wolden ryde.

The chambres and the stables weren wyde,

And wel we weren esed atte beste.

And shortly, whan the sonne was to reste,

So hadde I spoken with hem everichon

That I was of hir felaweshipe anon,

And made forward erly for to ryse

To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse.

But nathelees, whil I have tyme and space,

Er that I ferther in this tale pace,

Me thynketh it acordaunt to resoun

To telle yow al the condicioun

Of ech of hem, so as it semed me,

And whiche they weren, and of what degree,

And eek in what array that they were inne;

And at a knyght than wol I first bigynne.

A KNYGHT ther was, and that a worthy man,

That fro the tyme that he first bigan

To riden out, he loved chivalrie,

Trouthe and honour, fredom and curteisie.

Ful worthy was he in his lordes werre,

And therto hadde he riden, no man ferre,

As wel in cristendom as in hethenesse,

And evere honoured for his worthynesse;

At Alisaundre he was, whan it was wonne.

Ful ofte tyme he hadde the bord bigonne

Aboven alle nacions in Pruce;

In Lettow hadde he reysed, and in Ruce,

No Cristen man so ofte of his degree.

In Gernade at the seege eek hadde he be

Of Algezir, and riden in Belmarye.

At Lyeys was he and at Satalye,

Whan they were wonne, and in the Grete See

At many a noble armee hadde he be.

At mortal batailles hadde he been fiftene,

And foughten for oure feith at Tramyssene

In lystes thries, and ay slayn his foo.

This ilke worthy knyght hadde been also

Somtyme with the lord of Palatye

Agayn another hethen in Turkye.

And everemoore he hadde a sovereyn prys;

And though that he were worthy, he was wys,

And of his port as meeke as is a mayde.

He nevere yet no vileynye ne sayde

In al his lyf unto no maner wight.

He was a verray, parfit gentil knyght.

But, for to tellen yow of his array,

His hors were goode, but he was nat gay.

Of fustian he wered a gypon

Al bismotered with his habergeon,

For he was late ycome from his viage,

And wente for to doon his pilgrymage.

With hym ther was his sone, a yong SQUIER,

A lovyere and a lusty bacheler,

With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in presse.

Of twenty yeer of age he was, I gesse.

Of his stature he was of evene lengthe,

And wonderly delyvere, and of greet strengthe.

And he hadde been somtyme in chyvachie

In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Pycardie,

And born hym weel, as of so litel space,

In hope to stonden in his lady grace.

Embrouded was he, as it were a meede,

Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and reede.

Syngynge he was, or floytynge, al the day,

He was as fressh as is the monthe of May.

Short was his gowne, with sleves longe and wyde.

Wel koude he sitte on hors and faire ryde.

He koude songes make, and wel endite,

Juste and eek daunce, and weel purtreye and write.

So hoote he lovede, that by nyghtertale

He sleep namoore than dooth a nyghtyngale.

Curteis he was, lowely, and servysable,

And carf biforn his fader at the table.

A YEMAN hadde he and servantz namo

At that tyme, for hym liste ride so,

And he was clad in cote and hood of grene.

A sheef of pecok arwes, bright and kene,

Under his belt he bar ful thriftily

(Wel koude he dresse his takel yemanly:

Hise arwes drouped noght with fetheres lowe),

And in his hand he baar a myghty bowe.

A not heed hadde he, with a broun visage.

Of woodecraft wel koude he al the usage.

Upon his arm he baar a gay bracer,

And by his syde a swerd and a bokeler,

And on that oother syde a gay daggere

Harneised wel and sharpe as point of spere;

A Cristopher on his brest of silver sheene.

An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene;

A forster was he, soothly, as I gesse.

Ther was also a Nonne, a PRIORESSE,

That of hir smylyng was ful symple and coy;

Hir gretteste ooth was but by Seinte Loy;

And she was cleped madame Eglentyne.

Ful weel she soong the service dyvyne,

Entuned in hir nose ful semely;

And Frenssh she spak ful faire and fetisly,

After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe,

For Frenssh of Parys was to hir unknowe.

At mete wel ytaught was she with alle:

She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,

Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe;

Wel koude she carie a morsel, and wel kepe

That no drope ne fille upon hir brest.

In curteisie was set ful muche hir list.

Hire over-lippe wyped she so clene

That in hir coppe ther was no ferthyng sene

Of grece, whan she dronken hadde hir draughte.

Ful semely after hir mete she raughte.

And sikerly, she was of greet desport,

And ful plesaunt, and amyable of port,

And peyned hir to countrefete cheere

Of court, and been estatlich of manere,

And to ben holden digne of reverence.

But, for to speken of hir conscience,

She was so charitable and so pitous

She wolde wepe, if that she saugh a mous

Kaught in a trappe, if it were deed or bledde.

Of smale houndes hadde she, that she fedde

With rosted flessh, or milk and wastel-breed.

But soore weep she if oon of hem were deed,

Or if men smoot it with a yerde smerte;

And al was conscience, and tendre herte.

Ful semyly hir wympul pynched was,

Hire nose tretys, hir eyen greye as glas,

Hir mouth ful smal, and therto softe and reed.

But sikerly she hadde a fair forheed;

It was almoost a spanne brood, I trowe;

For, hardily, she was nat undergrowe.

Ful fetys was hir cloke, as I was war.

Of smal coral aboute hir arm she bar

A peire of bedes, gauded al with grene,

An theron heng a brooch of gold ful sheene,

On which ther was first write a crowned A,

And after Amor vincit omnia.

Another NONNE with hir hadde she,

That was hire chapeleyne, and preestes thre.

A MONK ther was, a fair for the maistrie,

An outridere, that lovede venerie,

A manly man, to been an abbot able.

Ful many a deyntee hors hadde he in stable,

And whan he rood, men myghte his brydel heere

Gynglen in a whistlynge wynd als cleere

And eek as loude as dooth the chapel belle.

Ther as this lord was keper of the celle.

The reule of Seint Maure, or of Seint Beneit—

By cause that it was old and somdel streit

This ilke Monk leet olde thynges pace,

And heeld after the newe world the space.

He yaf nat of that text a pulled hen,

That seith that hunters ben nat hooly men,

Ne that a monk, whan he is recchelees,

Is likned til a fissh that is waterlees—

This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloystre.

But thilke text heeld he nat worth an oystre;

And I seyde his opinioun was good.

What sholde he studie, and make hymselven wood,

Upon a book in cloystre alwey to poure,

Or swynken with his handes, and laboure,

As Austyn bit? How shal the world be served?

Lat Austyn have his swynk to him reserved!

Therfore he was a prikasour aright:

Grehoundes he hadde, as swift as fowel in flight;

Of prikyng and of huntyng for the hare

Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare.

I seigh his sleves purfiled at the hond

With grys, and that the fyneste of a lond;

And, for to festne his hood under his chyn,

He hadde of gold ywroght a curious pyn;

A love-knotte in the gretter ende ther was.

His heed was balled, that shoon as any glas,

And eek his face, as it hadde been enoynt.

He was a lord ful fat and in good poynt;

Hise eyen stepe, and rollynge in his heed,

That stemed as a forneys of a leed;

His bootes souple, his hors in greet estaat.

Now certeinly he was a fair prelaat;

He was nat pale as a forpyned goost.

A fat swan loved he best of any roost.

His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.

A FRERE ther was, a wantowne and a merye,

A lymytour, a ful solempne man.

In alle the ordres foure is noon that kan

So muchel of daliaunce and fair langage.

He hadde maad ful many a mariage

Of

Reviews for The Wife Of Bath's Tale

[thecrow2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Despite the old style prose this story form the Canterbury Tales can be read as a progressive even feminist tale from the XIV.c.

[shanaqui_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually reread this in my copy of the Norton Critical edition, which is very good, with glosses, notes, and a lot of supplementary material. Unfortunately, you can't put two read dates in, so. Here we go.

I decided to reread The Canterbury Tales because a) I've read Troilus and Criseyde twice now, and loved it, and b) I had to look at the Wife of Bath's tale as a Gawain romance. Gawain is always going to be a draw for me, so I settled down to read it. I find it frustrating, in its unfinished and uncertain nature -- which tale responds to which, are we supposed to connect this tale with this part, etc -- but I did enjoy it a lot more this time. The different stories and styles display Chaucer's versatility as a writer, of course, and I found most of them fascinating in their own right. I have a special fondness for the Franklin's Tale, because I studied that and reading it again after some time away (and after earning my degree!) taught me so much more about it.

I still prefer Troilus and Criseyde, and I still wish people could come to artists like Shakespeare and Chaucer in their own time instead of as a chore, as homework. But still! I appreciate The Canterbury Tales a lot more now.

[alcracka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I suppose this is my own Ulysses. Canterbury Tales is certainly one of those books, like Ulysses or Proust or Golden Bowl, that no one's actually read or if they have they hated it or if they didn't they're lying because they think it'll impress you. But I took a whole class on this in college and I had this terrific professor, and she showed me how awesome this is. Really, it's a heap of fun. Are you impressed?

[kaulsu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mark Twain said something like: "Classics are books you think you ought to read, but never do." Well, I am glad I put in the hours to listen to this book, but I cannot say I enjoyed much of it. Partially, it was the narration--some of the accents used were simply impossible--and partially it was boredom that set in when discussing theology that is so far from my own. Still, it is part of the "canon" and as such, it is good to be a bit more literate today than I was yesterday....

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful book. It took me some time to get into the book, because I am not that used anymore to this style of writing. However, when you get into the meat of the book, you will be amazed at the amazing variety of styles in the book. There are a multitude of characters. The stories cover a wide range, from the raunchy to the spiritual, to the boring. The style in which each story is told matches the story teller, and matches the story. It is astounding to come across such range in one book. Apart from the sheer brilliance of the writing, I think the book does give us a glimpse into the England of the times. This book is a must read

[emurray35 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a very approachable translation of The Canterbury Tales. Many of my students still struggle with reading Chaucer in translation (at least with the translation in our anthology); however, this translation seems more approachable for my college students.

[chelsearebman · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of my English teachers had a penchant for making his students memorize passages from certain books. Thanks to him, I will forever have the first few lines of the prologue memorized. It randomly pops into my head in lilting Middle English, and I find myself repeating, "Whan that aprill with his shoures soote, the droghte of march hath perced to the roote, and bathed every veyne in switch licour..."

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The whole idea of the Canterbury Tales is very cool, and I certainly enjoy reading the different stories and poetry, but I find that I don't actually -like- most of the stories. They all follow a distinct pattern and are either crude and tragic or just plain tragic.

[sedelia_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one of the best translations of Chaucer that I've read. And, having been an English major, I've read quite a few versions of Chaucer's stories. It makes a huge difference having a poet translate, I think. Raffel does an excellent job in maintaining the poetic integrity of the work while making it readable for modern readers.I have heard many friends complain about how boring The Canterbury Tales is. I admit, there are some stories that are impossibly long-winded. (I'm thinking of the Parson's Tale here.) However, there are a few classics in here, such as the Wife of Bath's Tale, and the Knight's Tale. No matter what, it's amazing to see how each of these stories continues to be meaningful and have relevance to audiences today. There is something in every story that we can still see in today's world. Promiscuity, cheating, marriage, friendship, religion, etc. Chaucer covers it all.If you're going to pick and choose, however, I think the funny ones are the best. There is some merit in the others, but Chaucer is at his finest when writes humor. He's sarcastic, clever, and gloriously irreverent. And he's not above a good fart joke. I'm not sure that can be taken as a sign of a brilliant writer, but Chaucer is one of the greatest.Overall, I think classics are classics for a reason. The status of The Canterbury Tales is rightly deserved. Chaucer is undeniably clever and funny and brings up a lot of issues that are still worth thinking about. I think everyone should sit down and read this one; just be prepared for poetry, not prose, and know that it won't be a fast read. But it will be worth it.*I was given a free copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers' Program in exchange for an honest review.*

[seriousgrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The premise behind Chaucer's tale is really quite simple: out of a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral, who can tell the best tale? Whoever wins gets a free meal at the Tabard Inn at the end of the journey. Most of the stories center around three themes, religion, fidelity and social class.

[sasham-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sexual politics, religion and history - interesting and easy to read but could use a few explanatory notes on some of the religious / historical references.

[aulsmith · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have several editions of the Wyf of Bathe, but my favorite is the Bellerophon coloring book. It has the Prologue and tale in Middle English, accompanied by line drawings to color done by Gregory Irons. The pictures include the rape scene, which was probably a first for coloring books.

[soonercatholic · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

-The Canterbury Tales are told by people on a pilgrimage in medieval England (the tales are set in various places) and deal with the themes of love and morality.-29 people on their way to Canterbury tell various tales to be rewarded at the end of their journeyCharacters: Knight- chivalrous, modest; Squire- gay, romantic; Yeoman- forester; Prioress- false elegance, proper; Monk- manly, wealthy; Friar- well-dressed, wanton; Merchant- flaunting dress, in debt; Clerk- poor, learned; Sergeant of Law- wise, "busy"; Franklin- son of Epicurus; Cook- had ulcer, special chicken soup; Shipman- crafty, no conscience; Doctor- dealt in astronomy, gold; Wife of Bath- 5 husbands, weaver, gossip; Parson- devout, poor; Plowman- faithful; Miller- brawny, ribald; Munciple- purchase supplies, wealthy; Reeve- cheated master, feared; Summoner- devilish, fond of wine; Pardoner- long haired, avaricious; Host- manlyCharacteristics: multiple storiesResponse: I found it enjoyable and entertaining considering it was medieval literature

[booksfordinner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Maybe one day I'll read ALL of the tales. Not today.

[es135_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It haunted me in my high school English class, and I guess I just couldn't get the sour taste out of my mouth. I do respect the scope of this novel, and the ambitious points of view expressed by each character's story. This just wasn't my cup of tea.

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I studied The Canterbury Tales in a required literature class. The Tales comprised the entire syllabus. Our professor was one of those rare gems who made the work absolutely come alive. Each Tale became its own masterpiece. We learned to read in Middle English and to translate Middle English to Modern English. From a master, I learned to love and appreciate Chaucer's work. My five-star rating is for the late Professor Douglas Wurtele of Ottawa, ON, who spent his academic life studying Chaucer and tirelessly sharing his rich enthusiasm with his students.

[jwhenderson_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reading The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer from beginning to end is an exhilarating experience. The humor and variety that abound in these stories particularly impresses this reader. That aside, the game established by Chaucer at the Tabard the night before the journey is a competition for the tale "of best sentence and moost solaas," the prize being "a soper at oure aller cost." He leaves no doubt that some of his pilgrims would rate the prospect of a free meal more highly than the feast promised at the Cathedral: a view of not only the St. Thomas a Becket relics, but the whole arms of eleven saints, the bed of the Blessed Virgin, fragments of the rock at Calvary and of rock from the Holy Sepulchre, Aaron's Rod, a piece of the clay from which Adam was made, and more. Since Chaucer does not complete his tale-telling, nor get his pilgrims to their destination, neither earthly nor spiritual nourishment is realized. The reader should not let this deter him from enjoying the tales that Chaucer did complete as presented in this effective modern english verse translation.

[danajean_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Canterbury Tales is one of those classics that was on my TBR list. I chose to listen to this on audio and was very glad I did. Narrators are a reader's best friend when it comes to more difficult reads, allowing the listener to just sit back and absorb the work. And in between the actual traveler's tales, there would be a brief summary of what exactly was going on. I appreciated this very much because, at times, I wondered if I was listening to the same writer--one story would be fluid and coherent and easy to understand--and then we came to tales that were confusing and tortured in their language. Audio recommended. Overall, interesting.

[steventx · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The importance of the Canterbury Tales in the history of English literature and the English language goes without saying. It is also a lot of fun to read, even in the original Middle English.The Everyman's Library edition presents the full text as Chaucer wrote it, but with definitions in the margins for words whose meaning isn't obvious. There are also footnotes for those cases where a word or two of explanation won't suffice. At first it was slow going, but after awhile I was able to forgo many of the definitions. Reading aloud also helps, for Chaucer's spelling--which is by no means consistent throughout the book--is largely phonetic.The stories themselves range from bawdy adventures to religious sermons. Some of them will sound familiar, as they are taken from Greek myths and will appear again in the works of Shakespeare and others. Most are humorous, and Chaucer's talent as a poet begins to come across once you become somewhat comfortable with the language. The framing story is noteworthy as well. The pilgrims are a cross-section of medieval society. The tales they choose to tell, and the way they tell them, reflect their lives, their education, their interests, and their prejudices. To read their tales is to be immersed in the life of the middle ages.

[unionhawk_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed reading this. When I finally got past reading the last word of each line (distracted by the rhyming verse), I really enjoyed reading The Canterbury Tales, which was a surprise to me, because I normally hate anything that teachers assign us to read. The tales were realistic, easy-to-understand, and above all, kind of funny. Totally shocked me. 4/5

[madamesynchro · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I initially was introduced to the Canterbury tales in AP English class in HS. The way my teacher brought the text to life was great and when I saw this I had to buy it. Having the Old English (which I believe is really Middle English) next to present day English is very helpful. I found it curious to see how our language has developed over time as the meanings of certain words have definitely changed over time. During my next semester in college I'm taking a class that specifically deals with Middle Age literature. I look forward to reading this yet again and am sincerely hoping for an easy A in the course. If you've never read the Canterbury Tales, I highly recommend it. This is a classic in English Lit, everyone should read it.

[laurengommert · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The first time I had to read this book for school I hated it. Later, as an adult I came to love the book. Some stories are more captivating than others but they're all entertaining. Each story carries different characteristics, and range in purposes from providing moral dilemmas to being just plain hilarious. Everything from love, jealousy, hate, revenge, sex, and stupidity is covered! If you read this book for school, and hated it, give it another chance! It deserves that much at least!

[booksandwine · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this in high school for AP English. Don't let the old english throw you, this book is awesome. It's full of hilarious stories and are certainly worth a read. Medieval people definately have fantastic senses of humor.

[ankhet_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program, and have slowly been slogging through it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the Canterbury tales - as you can see, I've given it 4.5 stars. No matter what translation, I find the Tales always to be a long, hard read - but this translation is beautiful. It makes the long, hard read much less of a slog and much more enjoyable!

[downtownlibrarian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My Chaucer professor at the University of Miami, Dr. Eugene Clasby, used to say that Chaucer was a greater writer than Shakespeare (and he taught Shakespeare, too). I'm going to leave it at that, except to say that The Wife of Bath's Tale is a brilliant moral lesson about embracing your life.

[bamalibrarylady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I was assigned this book to read for my World Literature class, I was somewhat afraid. This was not only because I figured I wouldn't understand the language but also because it seemed extremely boring.However, once I bought the book and read it, I was surprised to find that I was wrong about both of these things.First,in terms of the language, although it was written in Middle English, the author of this edition takes the liberty of having a translation of each section. This of course allows the reader to see the contrast of the old language and the modern translation as well as better relate to the story.Secondly, in terms of the Canterbury Tales being boring, I was surprised to find myself wanting to continue reading each of the tales. Although I thought I would not be interested in the various tales told by each pilgrim, I eventually wanted to see how the characters in each tale ended and what became of them.So,although this started out as an assignment for class, it became an opportunity for me to read something that I usually wouldn't. Therefore, I would suggest this book to anyone who would like to read about not only a journey but about how people are not as they appear to be.

[kislam_75 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book in the 11th grade in Ms. Robert's English class. I think this was one of the first books where I really began to take an interest in the classics, which was unwittingly encouraged by Ms. Robert's excellent teaching of the class (for example, the day we read The Knight's Tale, we were told to pronounce "knight" as "kuh-nig-ut"). It is an interesting glimpse into mediaeval times, which, as it turns out, weren't so different from a human perspective than the present.One of the books I took with me and read while deployed to Iraq.

[tapestry100 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Having not read The Canterbury Tales since high school, I really have no basis of comparison to say how this translation stands up to prior editions, but I can say that it was a very accessible book. I won't go into the details of the story, as I would be just rehashing everything that has been said before, but I did find the book enjoyable. It still takes awhile to get into the flow of the text, but once there, the reading was quite easy.

[bluedelirium · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This particular translation proved to be an easier read than I had expected. A little of the flow feels like it has been sacrificed in favor of readability, but that didn't bother me- rather, I enjoyed the chance to read the stories without having to over-think the poetry. I always have my older editions for the times when the beauty of the language is more important to me than the stories!

[maribs_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a beautiful book the new unabridged translation of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales by Burton Raffel is. The book jacket is lovely, the uneven torn edges of the pages are perfect and typeset is easy on the eyes.John Miles Foley's Introduction begins..."Welcome to the world of characters you won't soon forget, of speeches and ideas and events that will stay with you long after you come to the end of the (supposedly) unfinished Canterbury Tales." Even before coming to the end, the stories stay with you.I am getting through this book slower than I would like, but remember, it is almost 600 pages long. Not the easiest to read but well worth it. It just amazes me that this was written in the 14th Century. The translation from Middle English is done very well. I am truly enjoying my first reading of The Canterbury Tales.