The Canterbury Tales (Literary Companion (Greenhaven Paperback)) [Paperback]

Don Nardo (Editor), Tom Siebold (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up--An in-depth, scholarly analysis of Chaucer's tales of love, marriage, and religion. In spite of their endurance, these stories need some interpretation for today's young people. This resource introduces Chaucer's world with an introductory biographical sketch. The book is then divided into three main sections: language and verse; themes; and characterizations. Each section contains essays written by English professors and/or Medieval scholars. Especially interesting is the discussion of the origin of the English language as it pertains to Chaucer's verse. Examinations of the themes of love and marriage give insight into the contemporary relevance of the tales. Character sketches are well presented. Many essays are dry and a bit sophisticated for the intended audience, but the book itself is a useful resource for mature students and teachers. Biographical and historical chronologies are included. Nonetheless, the entry on Chaucer in Great Writers of the English Language (Marshall Cavendish, 1989) will be more accessible to most students.

Judy R. Johnston, Auburn High School, WA

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Greenhaven Press; annotated edition edition (January 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565105850
• ISBN-13: 978-1565105850
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,087,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Don Nardo is a historian and award-winning writer who specializes in the ancient world, especially the civilizations of Greece and Rome. He began as a actor and worked with the National Shakespeare Company before turning to writing screenplays and teleplays and, soon afterward, devoting much of his time to historical research and writing. In the past two decades, he has published nearly two hundred volumes on diverse historical topics. And having earned numerous favorable reviews, he is widely recognized as the country's leading writer of historical works for young adults. He is also versed in various other subjects and as a result is frequently asked by publishers to write books on a number of scientific and literary topics.

Mr. Nardo also composes and arranges orchestral music, having started composing in his early teens. Over the years he has turned out more than eighty musical works, including 2 symphonies, 4 string quartets, several concertos, a film score, incidental music for stage productions, and several commissions, the most recent a double concerto for violin and Portuguese guitar written for two noted musicians. He is also the resident composer and arranger for the Amadis Orchestra, based in Connecticut. For more information, see his official web site at www.nardopublishing.com and his more extensive biography at Wikipedia.