Canterbury Tales - Volume II (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Classic Fiction) [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Geoffrey Chaucer (Author), Frances Jeater (Narrator), Charles Simpson (Narrator), John Rowe (Narrator)

Book Description

Series: Classic Literature With Classical Music. Classic Fiction | Publication Date: June 2002

Chaucer's greatest work, written towards the end of the fourteenth century, paints a brilliant picture of medieval life, society and values. The stories contained within this recording -- including The Clerk's Prologue and Tale, The Nun's Priest Prologue and Tale, The Prioress's Prologue and Tale, The Reeve's Prologue and Tale, The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale -- are told with freshness and vigor (in this modern verse translation by Frank Ernest Hill, 1935), that make them a delight to hear.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES are timeless, but they present the audio producer with a dual challenge in rendering the language and pronunciation for the modern ear and, at the same time, preserving the tone and spirit of Chaucer's lines. This excellent production of four of the best-known tales earns high marks for both modernization and preservation. That is largely due to the choice of readers, whose crisp enunciation and firm pacing convey the personality and social milieu of each teller, but never at the expense of clarity. The tales themselves reflect the range of Chaucer's voices, from the ribald to the sanctimonious. Frances Jeater as the Wife of Bath is a standout, and Charles Simpson's handling of the Clerk's story of the patient Griselda brings feeling and conviction to the kind of medieval morality tale that modern readers often find most antiquated. The Reeve's tale of midnight shenanigans and the Nun's Priest's story of the rooster Chanticleer round out this outstanding set. D.A.W. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Naxos Audio Books; Unabridged edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9626342560
• ISBN-13: 978-9626342565
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,230,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This version is Volume II with only 4 tales, March 17, 2003

By 

"vjed" (Cortland, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canterbury Tales - Volume II (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Classic Fiction) (Audio CD)

Not a complete version. This is Volume II which contains The Wife of Bath's Tale, The Clerk's Tale, The Reeve's Tale, and The Nun's Priest's Tale.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great translation from the Middle English!, May 16, 2007

By 

Dorothy D. Dittman "Happy Booker" (Saint Maries, ID United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canterbury Tales - Volume II (Classic Literature With Classical Music. Classic Fiction) (Audio CD)

There is quite an array of voices in this production with authentic-sounding accents. Very animated without being over done. I wouldn't let kids listen to the Wive's Tale, however; it is pretty risque.