Which Version of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales Should You Read?

[@jonnyrussell9806]

15 seconds in -- concise introduction, clearly enunciated, good lighting, passionately spoken; your love for literature comes through in your presentation, and you've earned yourself a new subscriber. I have a feeling I'm going to binge this channel.

[@lynseybowe8693]

I am a high school English teacher and love the Nevill Coghill version. It's easy enough for my students to understand the language but still has a lot of the beautiful language of the original Middle English.

[@EldritchGod666]

My personal exposure to Chaucer came from my eighth grade World Affairs class. My teacher made an offhand comment about The Miller’s Tale that piqued my interest. My great grandfather had been a professor of classics and we had a collection of his books that I still have which included a copy of the Canterbury Tails in Middle English. I found that if I pronounced the words out loud as they were spelled, my ear could pick up the words. This was a revelation to me and allowed me to get through much of the stories. 😁

[@bunnycrofts8127]

For some reason I've found it helps to read Old English out loud.

[@deirdre108]

True, but the conversation is about Middle English

[@larrywarner1630]

Canterbury Tales is not in Old English.

[@Orange-tf3bf]

It's nice to see yo cover topics that give you joy :)

[@shystudyspy]

Love this! Thanks for this video! So interesting and it’s great to fall asleep too because there’s no sudden loud noises, just you talking and explaining something interesting.

[@kajielin4354]

OMG I was so looking forward to exactly this video! Thank you so much! :D

[@Lolzadoodle8484]

On Kyra loving Chopin: my dog loves opera and classical western voice. Singing is one of my hobbies, and she has started to pick it up with me, down to attempting to match pitch 🤣 She's started to get into pop, too - only Whitney Houston has interested her enough to sing along.

[@emily.g.929]

My dog loves Taylor Swift lol

[@TheDolphace]

I went to secondary school in South London, one of my favourite memories is listening to typical South London rude girls reading Chaucer. Not even being mean or laughing, it was really fun to hear how they decided to pronounce words. We read a couple of different versions which was cool

[@ArthurChappell]

A question of reading it or studying ot - best to read first in modern English translation and then go back to read it it in the Middle English - some characters really existed, including the landlord of the Tabard Pub who suggests the reading competition to the travellers. The pub sadly burnt down a few years after the Great Fire Of London (which it survived)

[@lindsay6518]

Wow what an interesting nugget!! Thanks for mentioning this

[@queenofdarkness2387]

I wish I`d seen this video before heading to the library earlier. Will definitely have a look for Chaucer`s Canterbury Tales next time. Loved the video

[@chloe.1596]

What a wonderful video! Thank you so much for the recommendations! :)

[@Kksaeyi247]

I bought a version of the original containing 9 tales and the general prologue at a second hand store. The preface contains a pronunciation guide as well as briefly explaining the morphology and syntax found in the poem. Half of the book is dedicated to sources, picked out translations to prose, or analyses. When I first skimmed through a few pages, I was reading it in my inner American English voice. But then I thought in Atun-Shei flims "Witchfinder General" character (based off of early colonial history around 1600s). The spelling and grammar was very similar and reading with his voice in mind helped me get into the flow a lot better. And I now just get a bit of a giggle reading it with a grouchy Puritan Witchfinder in mind, on a pilgrimage to the magistrate in the Shire in which he dwell. Obviously not accurate with them being centuries off, but funny nonetheless.

[@automotivebuff3202]

20:30 I have the Franklin Library Edition of the Canterbury Tales, in contemporary verse by J. U. Nicolson with the woodcuts of William Caxton, the first English printer. I was following Nevill Coghill's version of the prologue line by line, and I cannot decide which version is better. I like both, but I don't know, I can't make up my mind. All I know is that I've found to love Chaucer again after academia made me loathe his wonderful works. Here is Nicolson's version: There was also a nun, a prioress, Who, in her smiling, modest was and coy; Her greatest oath was but "By Saint Eloy!" And she was known as Madam Eglantine. Full well she sang the services divine, Intoning through her nose, becomingly; And fair she spoke her French, and fluently, After the school of Stratford-at-the-Bow, For French of Paris was not hers to know. At table she had been well taught withal, And never from her lips let morsels fall,

[@tuhtea6002]

This was a wonderful video!! Thank you for taking the time to make it. I really enjoyed it. :))

[@RachelOates]

Thank you!!

[@trapadvisor]

I’ve never heard of this. But you’re talking about it so I’m interested. Keep up the great work

[@laurajarrell6187]

Rachel Oates, I can't believe you'd try to do the middle English! I'm glad you're going to show the versions!👍🥰💖✌

[@philtheo]

1. Of course, the Coghill translation has been the gold standard for like 75 years. That's definitely the translation to get. 😊 2. However, perhaps surprisingly, Chaucer's Middle English isn't super difficult to learn. Any contemporary English speaker with a desire to do so can learn Middle English in a few weeks. Then one can read Chaucer in the original. 3. Penguin Classics publishes both the Coghill version as well as the Middle English text of The Canterbury Tales. And it's also available online to read for free.

[@SilentCanScream]

This video helps me a lot. I want to read Chaucer for my studies.

[@Diana-mu7pc]

Love that you made this video Rachel. Comparative Chaucer is my shit. One of my hobbies lately is buying antique versions of the Canterbury Tales presented for children on Etsy and secondhand book websites. I would love to know if you'd ever do a video like this on Beowulf, given the just as many (if not more) versions of that text! Especially with all the buzz that came out in 2020 with Maria Dahvana Headley's version. Stay well and take care of Kyra. :-)

[@RachelOates]

Ooh I’m not actually all that familiar with many translations of Beowulf - I only read one a very long time ago - but if you give me some time, I can do some reading! :)

[@RainE136]

I've recently started reading Beowulf too and I'd love Rachel's insight!

[@alacrity7591]

Thanks! I'll keep a look out for the Coghill version! I'm not a native English speaker, so Middle English intimidates me too much, but Penguin Classics is a sign of quality and I do want "the full experience" XD

[@ArtOfD0CILE]

Obviously not the focus of the video, but I just had to say, I adore your top. The flamingo pattern is so fun and the colors really make your eyes pop. Super cute!

[@RachelOates]

Thank you! It’s a dress from Collectif - I managed to get this secondhand but it’s so beautiful! :)

[@happymaskedguy1943]

I've been wondering about this for a while, as linguistically, The Canterbury Tales can be pretty daunting to a first timer. I also just finished The Handmaid's Tale - apparently the title is directly inspired by the work of Chaucer. Not that it's relevant, but I'm now onto reading 'H is for Hawk', by Helen Macdonald, and so far it's superb - beautifully poetic and rich prose. Check it out if you're a fan of British wildlife, or animals in general.

[@marsmarz]

This is so perfect. I’m an American studying literature in Canterbury so obviously I want to read Chaucer. It’s just so daunting

[@carpenoctumpoetry8400]

I know these aren’t always your most viewed videos, but I am soooo here for you classic lit videos 🥰

[@gregorsamsa4580]

I just an hour ago started “The Good Wife of Bath” by Karen Brooks. About 50 pages in, I highly recommend it! Serendipitous that you picked today to do Chaucer.

[@lindsay6518]

The wife of bath is my favorite

[@khylle1]

This was not a video I was expecting to see today but I'm delighted to hear people talking about their interests and I might just give Canterbury tales a look

[@paulsciria8921]

A Knights Tale is one of my families favorite films. I and my family burnt A Knights Tale, from a vhs we got from the library to dvd when I was little, it was also one of our first dvds.

[@jojodogface898]

I really wish I liked the Canterbury Tales, but after reading 3 translations, then doing the work to read the original, I have to admit, It was to me the mooste shrewe; that feele I on my ribbes al by rewe, and evere shal unto myne endying day.

[@PunkWyrks]

Yes!!!!!!!! Yesssss!!!!!! Yaaaaaassssss!!!!!! Chaucer. Chaucer. Chau.Cer. Chau. Cer. Chau-cer..... “High on a stag the Goddess held her seat, And there were little hounds about her feet; Below her feet there was a sickle moon, Waxing it seemed, but would be waning soon. Her statue bore a mantle of bright green, Her hand a bow with arrows cased and keen; Her eyes were lowered, gazing as she rode Down to where Pluto has his dark abode.” ― Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales Don't mind me, I'm just gonna keep squealing with joy in the background!!!!!!!

[@terrylynn7936]

Oh, it's been storming pretty badly overe here in Germany as well. I'm definitely checking this out sometime, it sounds awfully interesting.

[@geraintthomas4343]

Really interesting to get this review. We had to do some chaucer in year 8 and weirdly it's stuck with me. but also it's cute that kyra started getting up and snuffling when you started "speaking to dog voice"

[@shbondful]

Ooh, interesting! Medieval literature is a side interest of mine (note: essentially invariably in translation or transliteration, I don’t have the education to read much in the original), so I am on board for this.

[@Dragoness-si2xr]

The senior Ap English class had to read this at my high school. Least I think they did because one of the seniors came to my class and read from it.

[@The_Leftysaurus]

250K Whoooooooooooo~ Congratulations 🥳🥳🥳 I've heard of the Canterbury Tales but I haven't read any of them I think. They do sound interesting though.

[@lanahellebaut5728]

You inspired me to take my copy of the Dutch translation of The Canterbury Tales down from my book case. I prefer to read books by English speaking writers in their original version but for this one, I'll try the translation.

[@FlightsoFantasy]

Great video as always, I'll now add Chaucer to my "things to read" list. Misha Collins (actor who played Castiel in Supernatural) recently released a book of poetry. I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

[@RachelOates]

I’ll see if I can grab a copy, thanks! :)

[@jacke.7502]

When I was 17 my mum was in a theatrical adaptation of the Canterbury Tales. She played Pertelote, who, the director decided, would be a literal hen, so she dressed up as a chicken and, one day, decided it would be funny to show up to my Saturday job in her chicken costume. This is only tangentially related to the video but the image of my mother dressed as a chicken has haunted me for over a decade so I had to tell someone

[@RainE136]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@pangalacticgargleblaster2610]

I would recommend "Works of Geoffrey Chaucer : The William Morris Kelmscott Chaucer With Illustrations by Edward Burne-Jones" The Kelmscott Chauser is considered one of the most beautiful books ever. It is however a massive book, it is a display peice, it will go on top of your bookcase not on a shelf! It is in middle English but the art work is amazing

[@ninawth]

I'm really hoping that this will turn into a series, because I'm always open to recommendations like this. I read some stories from the Canterbury Tales in high school (alongside a modern English translation), and I've always wanted to read the entire work, but I was unfamiliar with any translations. The Middle English text is a bit too difficult for me, especially considering that English is not my native tongue, but I know now where to look. Coghill's version sounds perfect for me. Are there also Modern English versions of e.g. Paradise Lost? Does anyone know? I already have Tolkien's version of Beowulf on the shelf, as well as an English translation of La Divina Commedia, so lots of things to delve into. I'm currently reading Anthony Yu's faithful translation of Journey to the West, which I earnestly recommend. The book is hilarious and insightful.

[@ycampbell7672]

Whelp, I now feel like reading Chaucer.

[@FreeTempest]

I think I'm going to check out either the Peter or Neville versions. I had never heard of this work until I watched this video. Thank you so much for the lovely recommendations ☺️

[@tintinaus]

Have you heard of Baba Brinkman's Rap Guide to the Canterbury Tales?

[@boshowa0840]

You make me want to read these.

[@h3y_bails]

It's been awhile since I've read Middle English. I think I'm gonna break out my old little copy of a few of the Tales and see what I remember 😁

[@inanimatecarbongod]

If people think Middle English is hard, they should see medieval Scots. HOLY HELL, that really *is* another language. Have a look at Gavin Douglas' translation of the Aeneid and you'll wish you had a translation of it... Trivia: the Coghill translation was the basis for a stage musical adaptation of the Tales, of all things. Apparently it was a hit that ran for years, too.

[@miniflem1]

This is great, I wish all the skeptic channels would concentrate more on this, than solely fighting the scum of the earth.

[@johncarroll772]

Who's the scum of the earth

[@rolux4853]

What does this even mean?

[@miniflem1]

@@rolux4853 Rachel devotes a lot of her time to critiquing videos made by fascists and other lunatics. It was nice to see a video by her on a fun topic.

[@northof-62]

Came here from Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" as I learned he based his novel on The Canterbury Tales. Bought the Dr. Lesley A. Coote version, (as it was the only one available here in my local store), and reading it with additional help from the Harvard UNI Canterbury Tales online pages. (Though the line numbering starts to differ in the Prologue at line 490 for some reason unknown) It's amazing to see how many words that were used then, are still in use in Norwegian. ME NOR ENG wiste / visste - knew hadde /hadde - had prest / prest - priest nonne / nonne - nun etc. PS. Rimsky Korsakov's Nocturne is good as well.

[@araline2905]

Medieval history is super fun.

[@persbaderse]

he put his whole chaucussy into it

[@smkh2890]

The stories are easy to understand in modern English, but the music is in the original.

[@htyh3]

I just finished watching your poetry book review video and I loved it😂 also I feel so bad for the amount of money you wasted on those books. It should be illegal. I want to recommend a poetry book for you, if you ever do another review video, Eileithyia by Sarah Abdul( amazon). Cheap and quality content. I personally think is one of the best out there. Pretty complexe, especially the Vita and virginia poem. It gives me the chills every time. Now that I've watched your video, I'm so curious to see your reaction on this one. Looking forward to. Thnx anyways and keep it up!

[@studiouscamel]

I recommend Norton's Second Critical Edition. It's a bit pricey, but it contains the original Middle English stories and textual annotations in modern English; which (for me) made reading Chaucer infinitely less intimidating.

[@johncarroll772]

Any movie about Medieval Knights, and has the song Golden Years in it, is a must watch movie.

[@Sams911]

she's beautiful, listens to Chopin, reads Chaucer, and can clearly hold down a conversation ... where do I find one like her in Las Vegas?

[@smkh2890]

The Paulo Pasolini movie of the Canterbury Tales is really enjoyable and celebratory, part of Pasolini's 'Trilogia della Vita' . Wikipedia describes it, enticingly, as " a 1972 medieval erotic black comedy Italian film".

[@misti-step]

so glad this showed up in my recommended! the algorithm probaly knows ive been wanting to read the canterbury tales lol

[@MissCaraMint]

Finally. A useful video on youtube.

[@kirkmorrison6131]

I always read the Middle English version, I read it out loud with the original pronunciation

[@rundeldejesus8381]

Can you do a review on Joey Kidney’s book? What’s the rush? And Dreaming with my eyes wide open

[@melodye14]

I love this especially since I exclusively vibes with the Wife of Bath in college and wrote a paper and a research paper on that section through a feminist lens.

[@JFlower7]

I read a modern English version every April.

[@deirdre108]

Is there a version that has the translation on one page (say, Coghill’s) and the Middle English on the facing page?

[@StygianEmperor]

14:04 sounds like a good asmr video concept

[@jrr2480]

Is there a bilingual version? 🤔

[@scottfraundorf1679]

Really, Chaucer? Wasn't he friends with John of Gaunt?

[@muahlakaparak]

Great video

[@jerraldwest8531]

Hey, Rachel; you should check out Dominic Noble's Channel. He deals exclusively in liturature. God, I'd love to see my two fravorite British youtubers do a collab of some kind.

[@debmunsell1720]

Prunella Scales an another man did the best rendition i ever heard.

[@dariasdouble212]

I'm still traumatized, 19 years later, from my awful English teacher who really ground us into The Canterbury Tales. I honestly don't even remember what it's about. 🙃

[@northof-62]

That I can imagine. We have/had something called Old Norse her in our schools. Equally dreaded/hated.

[@liamodonovan6610]

You are stunning rachel love your beautiful dress love yout intelligent interesting videos love you rachel you always catch and hold my attention

[@Johnm.499]

I will read and get all of them if i can :)

[@Johnm.499]

Me thinkth it accordant to reason

[@colonelweird]

Really appreciate this video, but I think there was one minor error: most modern versions, including Ackroyd and Coghill, do not include the complete Parson's Tale. The only version that does include it (to my knowledge) is Burton Raffel's translation, published by Modern Library.

[@StartingFromNothing]

Why do you call the Tale of Melibeus "dry, dull and boring "? That tale is a masterclass in the laws of human nature.

[@jsigur157]

Somebody put a straight jacket on that girl

[@michaelsommers2356]

Saying that one should read literature in the original language is not snobbery, it's simply telling the truth. All literature, especially poetry, should be read in the original language. Unfortunately, very few people can read more than a couple of languages with enough fluency to do that. Therefore, translations are necessary. However, Middle English is not a foreign language; it is an earlier form of English, the language that we here are all using right now. We should all be able to understand it, at least in part. It will take more effort than reading a current best-seller, but that effort will pay off. I would recommend starting with the pronunciation. Getting that right, or close to right, will help a lot, as it may make it clearer associations of old with modern words that the spelling obscures. It also helps with the meter of the verse, since some things were pronounced that today are silent. Take a look at the first two lines: "Whan that Aprille with his shoures soote, The droghte of March hath perced to the roote, " At first glance, that may look incomprehensible, but it really isn't. You may need to rely on glosses to get some of the words, but that's true of more modern works, too. _Moby Dick,_ for example, uses a lot of nautical and whaling terminology unfamiliar to most readers.

[@CulturedCarlo]

I like you.

[@edwardkirby5225]

What do you think think of Ukraine.

[@davidregi7571]

Can you speak about the blackpill?

[@gradyratliff2034]

Youre...beaufitfu..ll....❤

[@newromantic222]

im an english lit major who has a class just about chaucer, i will check out these versions for myself, it was really helpful! thank you 🤍