The Canterbury Tales in Modern VerseReaders of this witty and fluent new translation of The Canterbury Tales should find themselves turning page after page: by recasting Chaucer's ten-syllable couplets into eight-syllable lines, Joseph Glaser achieves a lighter, more rapid cadence than other translators, a four-beat rhythm well-established in the English poetic tradition up to Chaucer's time. Glaser's shortened lines make compelling reading and mirror the elegance and variety of Chaucer's verse to a degree rarely met by translations that copy Chaucer beat for beat. Moreover, this translation's full, Chaucerian range of diction--from earthy to Latinate--conveys the great scope of Chaucer's interests and effects. The selection features complete translations of the majority of the stories, including all of the more familiar tales and narrative links along with abridgments or summaries of the others. To reflect Chaucer's interest in poetic technique, Glaser presents the tales written in non-couplet stanzas in their original forms. An Introduction, marginal glosses, bibliography, and notes are also included. |
Contents
1 | |
21 | |
2 The Knight | 43 |
3 The Miller | 70 |
4 The Reeve | 90 |
5 The Cook | 103 |
6 The Man of Law | 104 |
7 The Wife of Bath | 107 |
15 The Pardoner | 249 |
16 The Shipman | 266 |
17 The Prioresse | 278 |
18 Chaucers Tales of Sir Thopas and Melibee | 286 |
19 The Monk | 295 |
20 The Nuns Priest | 302 |
21 The Second Nun | 320 |
22 The Canons Yeoman | 337 |
8 The Friar | 141 |
9 The Summoner | 152 |
10 The Clerk | 169 |
11 The Merchant | 188 |
12 The Squire | 220 |
13 The Franklin | 225 |
14 The Physician | 241 |
23 The Manciple | 340 |
24 The Parson | 342 |
25 Chaucers Retraction | 345 |
347 | |
Back cover | 349 |