Selected Canterbury Tales

Written between 1387 and 1400, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is set on a journey made by thirty-one pilgrims (including Chaucer and the host, Harry Bailey) as they travel from Southwark in London to Thomas Becket's shrine at Canterbury. There, in return for the prize of a free dinner, the pilgrims all agreed to participate in a story-telling contest to help make their long journey more enjoyable. This volume contains three of Chaucer's most popular tales; the General Prologue, the Pardoner's Tale and the Wife of Bath's Tale. All of these are complete and unabridged with numbered lines. The modern translation contained in this book is presented in an interlinear style - the chief advantage being that it tends to produce a literal, word-for-word translation. Here, readers can check the meaning of unfamiliar words immediately - thereby making this version particularly suitable for those who are new to Middle English. Unfortunately, there are instances when this word-for-word approach does not help improve a reader's understanding. In these situations, an explanatory word or phrase is added to the original text. However, these additions are clearly separated from the original text by being contained in square brackets [ ]. Mention must also be made of one further departure from Chaucer's text. In the interests of propriety, all offensive references to female genitalia have been translated into much more acceptable language. Many modern translations of the Canterbury Tales retain Chaucer's iambic pentameter and rhyming couplet structure. Whilst that is a highly laudable endeavour, there are instances where Chaucer's poetic framework has been preserved only by transferring content from neighbouring lines, or by inserting either new or substitute words which may thereby modify its intended meaning. The present word-for-word schema expressly avoids those difficulties, but does so at the risk of raising the criticism that it lacks a consistent structure and style. Clearly, some lines rhyme, whilst others do not. In anticipation of that foregoing complaint, two explanatory comments may now be made. Firstly, the reader is reminded that Chaucer wrote before the Great Vowel Shift of 1400 to 1600. To this extent, it is likely that subsequent changes in pronunciation meant the Canterbury Tales began to lose some of its poetic resonance soon after it was written. Secondly, since large swathes of Chaucer's writing require very little modernization, the majority of rhyming couplets have remained intact. Indeed, the translation of those lines is very similar to that found in other works. The translator was educated at St Chad's College Durham, Warwick, Exeter and De Montfort Universities. Lately, he was both a Hardwicke and Sir Thomas More scholar of Lincoln's Inn, London. His publications include works on English law and literature.