(Excerpts)
Canterbury is such a mixed bag of tales that I found myself at times wishing to join in and at others wishing I could plug my ears and wipe my mind. Perhaps that is where the brilliance of Chaucer lies.

Tal como em diversas outras vezes, foi o cinema, (através da objectiva excepcional de Pasolini, neste caso) que me deu a conhecer o livro.
"Os contos de Cantuária" é quase um tratado sobre ironia, onde o autor expõe de forma sublime, as hipocrisias que afligiam a sociedade da idade-média (que são quase as mesmas da actual...)
De ressalvar também a óptima tradução, quase uma obra-prima por si só, e uma ressalva para a excelente edição física do livro.

Reading the old English is pretty easy - it's kind of like reading badly spelt text messages.

Okay, so the language is a bit strange, you don't understand all the words, but go with it. Don't read it in a modernization and miss all of Chaucer's magnificent language (and much of his sly humor). You'll get used to it pretty soon, I promise you. And if you have any musicality in your soul, the cadences and richness of his imagery will captivate you.

If you thought the 14th century was prudish about its language and strict about its morality, you're in for a shock. Chaucer's richness includes plenty of chivalry and romance, but there's also a good helping of down and dirty sex. His characters are memorable, his stories are fascinating, his appeal is universal.

That's Chaucer the teller of tales, and the best reason to read Chaucer -- he's just plain fun. But there's a serious literary reason to read him, too. Chaucer was the first major writer to write in a vernacular English that we can read and understand today. (When you think about it, it's astonishing that language has changed so little in 600-plus years.) He has been credited by some with essentially inventing the English language, and while that's a bit of an exaggeration, it's not much of one. His influence on English poetry is immense -- when you read him you're reading the start of English poetry, the man who set the stage for Milton, Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and on and on.

So whether you read him primarily to understand and appreciate his immense importance to English language and literature, or whether you read him for pure pleasure, or whether in the best of all possible worlds you read him for both reasons, doesn't matter.

As long as you do read him.

From BBC Radio 4 - Drama:
1/2 Queen of Ambridge amateur theatricals, Lynda Snell, takes charge of this barnstorming new adaptation of Chaucer’s classic tales. Join the cast of The Archers to enjoy stories of courtly love, deadly rivalry and boisterous sex - with a little bit of magic thrown in for good measure.

“A festive feast of spellbinding stories and bawdy banter … Another Lynda Snell triumph!” – The Borchester Echo

Written by Geoffrey Chaucer
Dramatised by Nick Warburton

Director …. Kim Greengrass
Producer …. Alison Hindell

Tellers of the Tales:
Ruth Archer & Chaucer .... Felicity Finch
David Archer & the Host .... Timothy Bentinck
Kirsty Miller .... Annabelle Dowler
Eddie Grundy .... Trevor Harrison
Lilian Bellamy .... Sunny Ormonde
Jazzer McCreary .... Ryan Kelly

The Knight’s Tale:
Theseus .... Nick Barber
Woman of Thebes .... Sunny Ormonde
Jailer .... Trevor Harrison
Palamon .... Barry Farrimond
Arcite .... James Cartwright
Emily .... Emerald O’Hanrahan
Soldier & Jolly Theban .... Ryan Kelly
Gatekeeper .... Timothy Bentinck
Diana .... Felicity Finch

The Miller’s Tale:
John .... Timothy Bentinck
Alison .... Annabelle Dowler
Nicholas .... James Cartwright
Absolon .... Nick Barber

The Wife of Bath’s Tale:
Knight .... Barry Farrimond
King Arthur .... Trevor Harrison
Queen .... Annabelle Dowler
Crone .... Carole Boyd

The Sailor’s Tale:
Merchant .... James Cartwright
Monk .... Nick Barber
Wife .... Emerald O’Hanrahan

Other roles played by members of the company.

Studio Managers .... Andy Partington & Vanessa Nuttall
Production Co-ordinators .... Sally Lloyd & Mel Ward

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000...

Whan that Aprille with his shoures sote,
the droughtes of Marche has perced to the rote
And bathed every vein in suich licour
Of which vertu is engendered the flour
When April with its sweet showers
has perced the drought of March to the root
And bathed every vein in such liquor
of which virtue is engenderedd the flower

Another gem of founding English style in poetry and prose . It is written in iambic pentametre, which lies in the origin blankverse , verse that is the best convienient of English language and for stylistic purposes of its literature. It explores best the language revaluing to the full itspossibilities. Chaucer is rightly considered as the father of English poetry , its narrative poetry. Because in the origin literarygenre is verse, narratives in prose came much later. Chaucer, in these tales the frame of which he lent from Decameron, but there ends all resemblance, he went further, much further exporing English society, all strata present except the highest, the arisocracy, gentry was explored, who were English characters, he explored contemporary medieval society, with their wishes , and wants, individual being determined by and at samne time springing from the soil, alive. It all begins as a religious quest of considerable company pf pilgrims on their way to the grave St Thomas Beckett, the martyr. Interesting this beginning at spring time and the characters of this haphazard and variagated company, much more deeply inserted into the soil of the people and closer to thei task, and who knows , of Chaucer's secret wish. The place where they start recounting is not a castle, place of fortitude and power but a modest tavern, and host is the proprietor of it, called the host. It is deeply ingrained in English way of life and culturally so. It is the place of encounter, of coming and going , it is at the origin of information and the giving awaz of the best possibility, the best story. Neeedless to say this work is not finished In this congregation Chaucer or poet is present, humble and modest, Chaucer ironising all , did not spare himself his irony, he was tentative and apologetic, his tale wass interrupted by the Host as uninteresting and confusung, badly told. Now is present individuals on their path in the world, their makingsof their destiny Brilliant! and entirely English

Not bad, I spose. But I should have read the modern translation instead of trying to struggle through the Middle English version, which is just close enough to modern English to be readable, but far enough away to require footnotes every five words just to help the reader figure out what the hell they just read. After twenty pages or so, this got very, very old.

Read for: Early British Literature

Read this as junior in college for an English Lit course. We had to memorize the prologue and recite it in class. Even to this day I still remember the first few lines, so I guess it definitely made an impression on me. Loved the beauty of the old english even it at times it can be hard to spit out.

Το αν είναι ωραίο ή όχι το παρόν βιβλίο είναι καθαρά θέμα προσωπικής άποψης. Κανείς όμως δεν μπορεί να αμφισβητήσει την ιστορική του -και όχι- μόνο αξία.
Προσωπικά το βρήκα ευφυέστατο!

Μοναδικό το συναίσθημα που ένιωσα σε μερικές από τις ιστορίες, όταν στην μέση της διήγησης καταλάβαινα ότι πρόκειται για ιστορίες όπου με έχει πει η γιαγιά και η μητέρα μου όταν ήμουν μικρότερος, χωρίς φυσικά να ξέρουν ότι ανήκουν σε αυτό το βιβλίο. Πόσο μάλλον, χωρίς να ξέρουν το πραγματικό τέλος από πολλές από αυτές. Είμαι σίγουρος ότι θα σοκαριστούν αν διαβάσουν το πρωτότυπο.

Προτείνεται σε όσους δεν βαριούνται εύκολα και έχουν πολύ καλές γνώσεις αγγλικής γλώσσας. Επίσης προτείνω να το διαβάσετε φωναχτά (ή έστω να δοκιμάσετε για λίγο) καθώς η ομοιοκαταληξία και ο ρυθμός του κειμένου έχουν αρκετά εύηχο αποτέλεσμα.

I did not read the whole book in English class, but I wish I did. After only reading the Prologue and a few of the tales, I am interested in reading more of the tales. They seem different from other books I have read in English, so to speak. Humor, satire, and other forms of literary narrative were present, and although the old English was a bit unappealing at first it was actually beautifully written.

Maybe more to come when I become an English major? We'll see.

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This was my first (and possibly my last) Chaucer, and was a tough read. The English language has changed considerably since these stories, most in verse but a couple long ones in prose, were published between 1386 and 1390. The spelling, pronunciation, and many words he used have changed, with many words having become obsolete or changed their meanings. I'm glad there was a glossary of this "famous (Walter William) Skeat edition. The stories vary in quality--some are very good and some just okay--but they illustrate why Geoffrey Chaucer is the leading English poet. It's a classic of classics that demonstrates his mastery of rhythm.

✩ 2.5/3 stars
~
[read for high school ‘freshmen year’ great books class]