The Canterbury Tales: Fifteen Tales and the General Prologue : Authoritative Text Sources and Backgrounds Criticism

I did not realize how adult the Canterbury Tales were. The Norton edition keeps the middle English but includes textual notes and glosses that make it readable for those of us not familiar with the language. The essays are what yu would expect from a Norton Critical Edition, well worth the price.

This is a great paperback copy that I used for college. I can’t say I’d read this for fun (as Middle English is a headache lol), but it’s still a great story to learn about.

I have about 10 editions of the Canterbury Tales and teach British Literature. This edition will provide you with what you need to get a good feel for Chaucer and his storytelling. Great stories and well written. A must for any Middle English student/teacher/enthusiast.

I'm not going to waste time reviewing the content of the original Canterbury stories, I mean it's friggin' Chaucer, there is more than 600 years worth of reviews and criticism far more incisive and informative than anything I could ever write. I'm just going to briefly talk about this edition. Norton has always done an excellent job with their collections and anthologies, especially their critical editions, several of which I personally own, like their critical editions for Heart of Darkness and The Turn of the Screw. Their critical edition for The Canterbury Tales is no exception. It has very helpful footnotes and side notes to help you get acquainted with Chaucer's original language for those who want to take on the challenge of reading Old English over an abridged edition, and it has tons of essays, contexts, and backgrounds in case you feel like digging deeper into Geoffrey Chaucer's most renown master work. If you're just getting started with Chaucer, this is an excellent place to start. I only have a few complaints: First, the paper is thin and a little cheap, so if you're like me and you like to highlight things or write notes in your books, please use a pencil to underline and write, don't use a highlighter or a pen, it will bleed through. Second, they've only included 15 of the 24 stories written for the Canterbury tales, I'm not exactly sure why. Still, for what there is, it's excellent, and there's tons of value for the price.

Amazon came through with amazing delivery in time for an adult Learning program led by a revered retired professor who guided the learner through the rich colorfull amazing old english rendition of this book as always a walk in wonder.

Chaucer is a language unto himself it would seem. However he was a great author and well worth the time to read. This was a well made book, it hasn't fallen apart yet anyway, and is worth sharing with others

I bought this book for the critical essays which weren't really that helpful. Also, be aware that this book only has the original text, not the side-by-side modern English translation like most versions have. I donated my copy.

This is an excellent version of this classic. The footnotes, introductions and end notes are all very useful. I really enjoyed reading it.

Here's the index: Preface Chaucer's Language Selections from The Canterbury Tales The General Prologue The Knight's Tale The Miller's Prologue and Tale The Reeve's Prologue and Tale The Cook's Prologue and Tale The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale The Friar's Prologue and Tale The Summoner's Prologue and Tale The Clerk's Prologue and Tale The Merchant's Prologue and Tale The Franklin's Prologue and Tale The Pardoner's Prologue and Tale The Prioress's Prologue and Tale The Prologue and Tale of Sir Thopas From The Prologue and Tale of Melibee The Nun's Priest's Prologue and Tale The Manciple's Prologue and Tale From The Parson's Prologue and Tale Chaucer's Retraction--elevated from "Sources and Backgrounds" Sources and Backgrounds THE GENERAL PROLOGUE Giovanni Boccaccio, From the Decameron, First Day, Introduction Giovanni Boccaccio, From the Decameron, Tenth Day, Conclusion St. Augustine, [Human Life as a Pilgrimage] Sir William Thorpe, [On Pilgrimage] Thomas Wimbledon, [On the Estates] William Langland, [On Monks] John Gower, [On Monks] Wycliffite Estates Criticism THE MILLER'S PROLOGUE AND TALE The Three Guests of Heile of Bersele THE REEVE'S PROLOGUE AND TALE The Miller and the Two Clerics THE WIFE OF BATH'S PROLOGUE AND TALE Jean de Meun, From The Romance of the Rose Theophrastus, From The Golden Book on Marriage St. Jerome, From Against Jovinian Walter Map, From The Letter of Valerius to Ruffinus, against Marriage From the Gospel According to St. John From St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 From St. Paul to the Ephesians From St. Paul to Timothy 1 From St. Paul to Timothy 2 John Gower, The Tale of Florent THE FRIAR'S PROLOGUE AND TALE Robert Rypon, A Greedy Bailiff THE CLERK'S PROLOGUE AND TALE Giovanni Boccaccio, From the Decameron, Tenth Day, Tenth Tale Francis Petrarch, The Story of Griselda Francis Petrarch, [Two Letters to Boccaccio] From Le Ménagierde Paris THE MERCHANT'S PROLOGUE AND TALE The Woman and the Pear-Tree THE FRANKLIN'S PROLOGUE AND TALE Giovanni Boccaccio, From the Decameron, Tenth Day, Fifth Tale Bartholomaeus Anglicus, [On Love and Marriage] THE PARDONER'S PROLOGUE AND TALE Jean de Meun, From The Romance of the Rose The Hermit, Death, and the Robbers Thomas of Cantimpré, From Liber de Apibus THE PRIORESS'S PROLOGUE AND TALE The Story of the Alma Redeptoris Mater A Miracle of Our Lady Alma Redemptoris Mater Pope Gregory X, [On Christian Mistreatment of Jews] THE PROLOGUE AND TALE OF SIR THOPAS From Guy of Warwick THE NUN'S PRIEST'S PROLOGUE AND TALE William Caxton, From Aesop's Fables Marie de France, The Cock and the Fox From the Roman de Renart, Branch 2 Macrobius, [On Dreams] Geoffrey of Vinsauf, [Lament on the Death of Richard I] Bartholomaeus Anglicus, [On the Cock] THE MANCIPLE'S PROLOGUE AND TALE Ovid, [The Story of Phoebus and Coronis] John Gower, The Tale of Phoebus and Cornide Criticism F.R.H. Du Boulay, The Historical Chaucer Arthur W. Hoffman, Chaucer's Prologue to Pilgrimage: The Two Voices E. Talbot Donaldson, Chaucer the Pilgrim Barbara Nolan, "A Poet Ther Was": Chaucer's Voices in the General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales George Lyman Kittredge, [The Dramatic Principle of the Canterbury Tales] George Lyman Kittredge, [The Marriage Group] Lee Patterson, From The Parson's Tale and the Quitting of the Canterbury Tales] Paul Strohm, From Social Chaucer: A Mixed Commonwealth of Style Carolyn Dinshaw, Eunuch Hermeneutics Geoffrey Chaucer: A Chronology Selected Bibliography ...

Well printed,full of authentic contents.I use it to quench my thirst for knowledge...Arrived on time.

Exactly what I wanted! It is easy to understand most of what is written but there are words and phrases which are more difficult or obscure. This edition of The Canterbury Tales is excellently well set out to make total comprehension quick and easy. It does this by writing in modern English the meaning of occasional obscure words at the end of the line in which they occur and adding numbered footnotes at the bottom of the page where maybe an entire phrase or sentence may be hard to grasp. This method makes it easy to follow the narrative thrust without having to keep looking words up at the end of the chapter or the book, something which can disrupt the pleasure of reading. The presentation of the narrative and accompanying vocabulary explanations have been well thought out with a wonderful balance struck between clarity and reader experience. I do not usually read English writing from this period but I have found this edition makes comprehension straightforward and enjoyable.

I hadn't read Chaucer's Canterbury tales since I was at school, but wanted to delve into them. With this book I have read many of the tales (so far) with relative ease and joy. Why? Because this edition has translation of words, and footnotes on each page that really help. The text is close to Medieval English, in other words as authentic as it needs to be to enjoy the words and rhythm, with being obtuse. I have another text, but I don't find the notes in that one helpful enough and I get lost. Modern English translations are almost pointless, it seems to me, because so much of the original beauty is lost. I have only two minor criticisms of this book: first is that it does not contain every tale - fifteen of them are included out of the twenty-four that Chaucer wrote (a few incomplete). However, that is enough to get you through these fifteen and probably on to the others in full (but perhaps more difficult) editions; second, some of the footnotes seem to explain the obvious, at least obvious to me as a native English speaker. However, I prefer a book that errs on the side of clarity to erring on the side of obscurity! Definitely worth the money. The book also has some interesting essays about Chaucer and the context in which the tales were written, which is another reason to have this book on your shelf if you like Chaucer.

good