Customer Reviews

The Portable Chaucer: Revised Edition (Portable Library)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The problem with reading the original is that it is almost like reading a foreign language, resulting in having to stop and look up every other word. Yet, the problem with most translations, (Peter Tuttle comes to mind) is that it destroys the rhyme scheme - which greatly devalues the work in my opinion.

Theodore Morrison is the first I've read to translate in such a brilliant manner as to preserve most of the original while keeping the rhyme scheme intact. Highly recommended.

This book has a collection of many short stories in it, each with humor, and each with a theme. It takes place in an inn, where a group of pilgrims are staying for the night. Then the inn keeper tells them, they each must tell a story. So each of the different pilgrims, with different occupations and personalities, tells a tale, until morning is reached. Most of the tales are bawdy,comical, and have a theme. The book takes the point of view from one of the pilgrims, named Chauser, who listens to the different tales, but never interacts in the story. The pros of this book would definitely be it's comedy, poetry, challenge, action and love. Also, the point of view from various occupations, one to another, is interesting. The cons of this book would be, it's tendency to use unmeaningful words just to complete a rhyme. It also is easy to lose track of the main story with it's rhyme and old English text. I am definitely going to recommend this book to some of my friends, who are good readers and will love it. I hope you do to.

Romantic in feeling: Love ,Lust Greed: all told throught different experences and understandings. Quotes such as "If the gold rusts, what will the iron do? For if a priest is foul in whom we trust, no wonder a layman shows a little rust."

This book has a collection of many short stories in it. Each with humor and each with a theme. It takes place in a inn where a group of pilgrims are staying for the night. Then the inn keeper tells them they each must tell a story, so each of the different pilgrims with different occupations and personalities tells a tale, tell morning is reached. Most of the tales our body comical and have a theme. The book takes point from one of the pilgrims named Chauser who listens to the different tails but never interacts in the story. The pros of this would definitely be it's comedy, poetry, challenge, action and love. Also the point of view of one to another's occupation is interesting. The cons of this book would be it's tendency to decrease in interest to find words that rhyme. It also is easy to loose track of the main story with it's rhyme and old English text. I am definitely going to recommend this book to some friend. Also many of my friends are good readers and will love it. I hope you do to.