Geoffrey Chaucer Books

Having trudged through literally dozens of books on the fourteenth century, it was delightfully refreshing to read _Daily Life in Chaucer's England_. I do Medieval Re-creation in my spare time, and found this one of the best resources in print. No more searching through dozens of books to find what a peasant's shoes look like, or what a wealthly merchant would be wearing. From the Lord's Prayer in Latin and Olde English, to the rules for a medieval version of backgammon, this book has it all. With just enough detail to give a thorough idea of the times, and a detail bibliography, this book should be the launch pad for anyone interested in the fourteenth century

This book is a well presented look at medieval life in the late 14C. I doesn't dwell for long on any particular subject, so if you need more in depth information on a subject you will need another moe specific book to compliment this one. It does however, touch on, as the title implies, the things that everyday people did, most books are either about the nobility or the combat, great for the high medieval re-enactor.

This is a good book as a general introduction to the mid-late 14th century. It is well organised with a nice assortment of information to get you started on the wonderful road of re-enactment.

This book will take you right away in what life raelly was in Medieval England. It covers all social classes and let you know the differences between them, not only on wealth amount, but also on diet, pastimes and clothing. It also contains some clothing patterns and recipes of the time.After you read it, you'll be able to understand the mentality of these people and how it is reflected in their literature.

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.

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 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.

... and history of the late 14th century. Ackroyd is more than just an excellent writer and distiller of information. He is clearly well-versed in the significance of Chaucer's writings and impact upon English literature. I am one who greatly appreciates the fact that many lives can be elegantly presented in under 800 pages. Ackroyd proves this point, bringing his slim volume in at 175 pages. Generally, something would have to give in this smaller dosage, either Chaucer's other writings or a sense of the historical time in which the subject lived. Both, however were well presented, creating a rich tapestry of a time long ago.

This is a very informative book. I knew very little about Geoffery Chaucer before reading this book. I was surprise to find out the he was more than just a poet. Overall, I was pleased.

Geoffrey Chaucer, most famously the author of "The Canterbury Tales," is a challenge to modern day profilers in search of the kind of detail that fills steamer trunk sized biographies. The 14th century England in which he breathed was a long, long time ago, in a far-off turbulent galaxy at that. Yet, he left behind a remarkable contribution to literary tradition, one that continues to hold influence and pleasure, and his emergent literate and litigious culture left behind enough public records to save him from total obscurity. Peter Ackroyd, known for novels and more voluminous biographies, here creates in CHAUCER a concise yet multidimensional and very satisfying look at the man and his achievement.

Even without his literary legacy, Chaucer bears attention because of what he represents of the changing medieval English social structure. A member of the merchant class, he was able to move into the royal circle, signaling the monarchs' reliance on commerce. Before he came to moonlight as the favorite court poet, he was a talented negotiator sent abroad and it was during a fortuitous sojourn in Italy that he encountered the literary models of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio that he would internalize and make uniquely his and England's own new vision.

Working with what is definitely known and leaving guess work to others, Ackroyd offers an agile, chronological review of Chaucer's works and the events of his life, forming a vivid picture of an artist's growing awareness of the possibilities of art and his role in fulfilling them. It is good historical reading, it is fine critical reading and it is delightfully intelligent general reading rendered in a firm and graceful voice. This is supposed to be the first of a series of "brief lives" by Ackroyd and on the basis of CHAUCER, I'm signing up to read them all.

Philippa Morgan's debut novel "Chaucer and the House of Fame" is a welcome addition to the medieval mystery genre! Taking a page (or two) from history, as it were, Morgan gives us Geoffrey Chaucer (later to be known as the "father of English literature"), a young man on a state mission from John of Gaunt, King Edward's youngest son and a big part of the royal ruling family at that time.

It is the time of the 100 Years War and the squabbles-deadly as they were-over French/English ownership of some of the minor kingdoms in France. Chaucer is on a secret diplomatic mission to Aquitaine to try to secure the support of Henri, Comte de Guyac, long an English supporter but now beginning to waver, as it appears the French may be winning. Accompanying Chaucer are his two aides, Alan and Ned.

Ironically, in Morgan's story, Chaucer had been held prisoner by the Comte some ten years earlier and, as history notes, was eventually ransomed and returned safely to England. While in the Comte's care, Chaucer, young poet he was, falls in love with Rosamund, the beautiful wife of the Comte. Now, Chaucer (married and with his own family) is quite curious to see how he will be received!

Leaving London in early May, the trio becomes involved in a number of deadly events along the way and they begin to doubt if they'll ever arrive in Aquitaine! Along the way, they team up with a group of actors (Loup's Troop), all the time being shadowed by as evil an antagonist you'll find by the assumed name of Hubert. The pace of the novel really picks up when, on the second day during a wild boar hunt, Henri, Comte de Guyac, is killed in what appears to be an accident. Chaucer senses that this is a murder.

And as "murder will out," now it is a race of time to solve not only this murder but to tie up all the other loose ends in the story, and there are many!

Morgan, however, is quite up to handling the myriad directions the books takes us! For one, her characters do a credit even to Chaucer, as she's able to capture the essence that he would have wanted evoked: the bawdiness is there, the humor, the satire, the social significance, and, of course, Morgan adds the "murder mystery" aspect. She gives Chaucer much free reign (he's involved in telling his own tale to his aides at the same time he's trying to solve the murder) and,using the Chaucerian technique of the frame story, maintians full control of all aspects of a well-written novel.

Fortunately for us, it appears that she's clearly set the basis for a series and a welcomed series it would be. Her Chaucer makes an excellent sleuth!

I wasn't certain about Chaucer in a mystery, but this worked mainly because the character was used in a believable way. Chaucer was, in fact, a diplomat as well as poet. The story is more political suspense, than a traditional mystery. There is a very effective sense of threat and danger that runs as a top note through the story, as well as an excellent twist at the end. There are stories within the story and a wonderful feel of time and place. I think it does help to know the actual history. For history lovers who don't need high action, I highly recommend it.

In this wonderfully readable and engaging debut mystery novel, Philippa Morgan has penned a book where actual historical events share the stage with a suspenseful intrigue subplot and a murder-mystery subplot, making "Chaucer and the House of Fame" a thoroughly exciting and absorbing read.

When it begins to look as if the fragile peace between the French and the English are about the breakdown over the lands in Aquitaine, the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt, sends one of his most trusted diplomats, Geoffrey Chaucer, in order to persuade the Comte de Guyac, a very influential French landholder from the region to continue his support of the English. But almost from the very beginning of the dangerous journey to Aquitaine, Chaucer senses that he is being shadowed. And he is right, for a very dangerous and determined spy-assassin is on his tail. Will the spy-assassin get to Chaucer before he can carry out his mission of persuasion? Soon, however Chaucer finds that he has exchanged one set of dangerous circumstances for another. For the household of Guyac is quite divided about whether or not they should support the English; and soon after Chuacer's arrival his gracious host is murdered during a boar-hunt. Was the Comte de Guyac murdered so that he would not throw his support behind the English? And was he murdered by the spy-assassin who has been dogging Chaucer's footsteps, or by someone from within the Guyac household? As Chaucer struggles to come up with answers, he uneasily begins to realise that his life is in even more danger than ever...

Set in 1370 and during the 100 year war, Philippa Morgan does a wonderful job of making the historical and political realities of the period a vital part of the novel, and not in a dense and uninteresting manner, but in a very vital, vivid and exciting way. You can really feel the suspense mount as you read of the spy-assassin closing in on Chaucer and his party, and feel the dread deep in your stomach as you realise that some other innocent or the other would be killed off by our villain in his murderous quest to get closer to Chaucer. The mystery subplot of who killed the Comte and why was rather well handled too -- there were plenty of suspects to keep one happily absorbed in speculating as to the identity of the murderer! But for me what really kept the novel humming and exciting was the suspenseful intrigue subplot as Chaucer and his cohorts to their level best to evade those who seem to have murderous plans for them. All in all, with factors like a good story fantastically told, colourful and vivid historical detail, and wonderfully realised characters, "Chaucer And The House Of Fame" is a read not to be missed by any avid mystery fan.

If you have any interest in Chaucer or The Canterbury Tales, then THE COMPLETE POETRY AND PROSE OF GEOFFREY CHAUCER is a volume that you must own. As the title says, this is the complete poetry and prose of Chaucer, written in the original Middle English. The Canterbury Tales and Chaucer's longer poems are relatively easier to find, but some of his other writings are more difficult to obtain, such as some of his shorter poems. This is one of the only collections that I know that includes all those works and in the original Middle English. The book is quality bound and the text includes some very useful introductions, footnotes, and commentaries. A great gift for any person who loves the work of Chaucer.

This book is really nice. It looks good. The print is nice - not too big or too small. And it's really well bound. If you're looking for an all purpose book of Chaucer, this is the one. The volume also includes great foot notes, glosses, and historical commentary. It is heirloom quality. It is expensive, but if you like quality literature AND quality binding, you've found your match.

It's obviously meant as a college text book, but where else can you find all of Chaucer's stuff with a reasonable amount of commentary ? Beware that this is in the original English, not a modernization.

This book was wonderful and exciting. Chuacer, a old Greek writer, was a magnificent author and this book deserves a look. Reviewed by many historians, this book reveals much about Greeks past and is worth the 1.60 price (compared to 2.00 at bn.com). RECOMMENDED

Please realize that the above reviewer is mistaken; Chaucer does not chronicle the lives of Greeks WHATSOEVER. The Tales recount a pilgrimage in England!

Chaucer begins a literary tradition by writing about everyday people, not just the nobility. He depicts the characters with humor and insight. The tales themselves say much about the times and people. Just because it's a classic doesn't mean it isn't good. This edition saves you money but still gives you the Chaucer "flavor."

Though it says 'A lightly modernized system of spellings has been adopted.', it is a bit too much modernization in spelling, it seems to me.
Criticism is very useful. After all, this is for the novice.

Besides the excellent, scrupulously edited texts and Lynch's thorough notes and rich-though-brief introductions, this new edition contains a concise and incredibly useful guide to Chaucer's pronunciation that is alone worth the price of the book. The best edition for the undergraduate or professional scholar.

Had wanted to read this for about 15 years, but it's funny how more books are published and then you have to read them? How 'bout that? This book has been out six centuries, so I guessed another 15 years would not hurt me. Chaucer's facility with language, his ability to rhyme, his familiarity with the human condition, and his ability to link the human conditions to elements of people's trades and careers at this time truly make this book one which paved the way for many other satires, multi-person narratives, and rich, nuanced tales of particular events at particular times.

This book is endlessly satisfying. I found Chaucer's poetry to be very intelligent, with allusions to the work of the day, to cultural references, to fashion, to religious beliefs, to prominent figures in the world at that time, and most of all, to allowing his imagination not to be limited by expectations on the limits of his writing. The stories in the book come via the relating of experiences told by travelers on their way to Canterbury. At times, the stories are considered too dry or too preposterous or perhaps they are too derivative. But Chaucer imbues the multiple characters, the minister's wife, the metalworker, the barrister, the civil servant, with characters who respond as mentioned to stories, if the stories are not seen to be up to scratch. Many of the stories concern sexual hijinx. Some concern convoluted family relations, some concern work concerns. Chaucer's currency with the lives and ways of many in 14th century England make the book rich and satisfying. He was a master poet and it seemed that Chaucer enjoyed spinning these tales for the more privileged who would have read this book at first. It is not surprising, however, that the book has remained current. The interests, themes, and topics from which Chaucer very ably spins his tales remain relevant today.

I bought this book as a gift for my sisters birthday. It was on her wishlist, yet neither of us realized it is a coffee table sort of book. Maybe neither of us read the review carefully! Either way, we were both happy with the quality and the illustrations inside our beautiful.

The only negative was that it arrived with one of the corners a little smushed.

What would it be like if you had to make a very long journey on horse back? Pretty boring, right? But what if someone had the brilliant idea of telling stories on the way there? That would make the trip go a lot faster. This is the premise of the Canterbury Tales. There are a lot of people who all want to go to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. They all met at a pub when the pub owner said that they should all tell one story on the way there and one on the way back. The version of the Canterbury tales only consists of four of the one hundred twenty eight that were told.
The first story that is told by the Nun's priest. This story is about a poor widow who lives on a farm. As you get further in this story it starts retelling the story of a chicken and a hen. This chicken had many wonderful hens around him. "This noble rooster ruled over seven hens, whose work it was to please him. They were his sisters and his wives." (pg. 20) But there was one hen named Lady Pertelote that he liked the most. One night he had a dream about a fox eating him. The next morning he told Lady Pertelote and she thought it didn't mean anything. A couple of days later a fox tricked him to shut his eyes and then the fox snuck up behind him and snatched him in his mouth. He was saved by the widow.
The next person to tell was the pardoner. His story was about greed. There were three people who were searching for death because they heard of all the horrible things he had done and wanted to kill him. While on their way they met an old man who told the men, "If you're so anxious to find Death, turn up this crooked road. I left him in that grove, under a tree and there he'll stay." (pg. 41) So that's what they did. When they got there they saw a sack full of gold and decided not to chase after Death but take the gold by night. They decided for one of them to go into the city and get wine to celebrate. The person that went was the youngest of them all. While he was gone the two thought up a plan to kill the third one so that they only had to split the money between them. The third boy wanted the money all to himself so he poisoned two of the bottles of wine and left one free of poison for himself. As he got the tree the two men killed him and they celebrated by drinking the wine and they died too. In the end they all got there wish. They met Death.
Those two were my favorite and the next two are by the Wife of Bath and the Franklin. The wife of Bath is about a man who threatens the life of another if they don't tell him what women want. The franklin's tale is about women who loved a man who left her and she was very sad. Nothing could make her feel better. If you want to know what happens at the end of these stories you'll have to read the book.
Historically this book is very good. It is based in the year of 1386. It show the life style of people who lived in the middle ages. It taught me that not all people were rich back then. It is historically spot on but the thing about this book is because it was written in the middle ages all the living conditions are right but it's very whimsical. Chickens can't talk, and Death isn't a person. In a way it shows how people thought back then. It tells us that some people might have wanted to meet death. Maybe in a physical way because they wanted to die or they just wanted to see someone death took away from them.
The reason I liked this book was because of the old English. I like taking in the metaphors and deciphering it. If you like Shakespeare then you'll most likely like this book. It is very whimsical and magical. It shows the people in the middle ages in a very metaphorical way. This book shows how life can be mystical and great even when you don't except it.

This is a translation abridgement (not the original text). It's not going to help you at all, with any english class. If you want to listen to the original unabridged text in middle english look here:The Canterbury Tales

I was trying to find an illustrated version of the original Chaucer as a wedding gift for a friend of mine, and found this one. I didn't realize (my fault--it's in the Publisher's Weekly review) that this was a child's version of the classic. The illustrations are nice, and, quite frankly, I haven't read the author's interpretation, but I wanted to make it clear to folks that it's not the original text, nor even an unabridged translation.

Amazon seems to be including all the reviews of different editions and translations of Chaucer's "Troilus and Criseyde" on the same page. If you read the reviews here you will be very confused. Some refer to an original language edition (either the one made by R. A. Shoaf or Stephen Barney's Norton Critical edition), and some refer to a translation, at least one to the translation done by Nevill Coghill. The reader needs to pay careful attention to what edition is actually on the screen when making a selection.

If you want to read the original text, I would recommend Stephen Barney's edition. Barney is the editor who made the critical edition for the Riverside Chaucer, and his Norton Critical edition includes ten excellent critical essays in addition to Chaucer's poem, Giovanni Boccaccio's "Il Filostrato" (Chaucer's source), and Robert Henryson's "Testament of Crisseid." Shoaf's edition is also good, but twice as expensive, and it does not have as much contextual material. Coghill is a fine translator of Chaucer, and for the reader who does not want to tackle the Middle English he will provide an adequate experience. But beware: His smooth couplets sound more like Alexander Pope than the vigorous medieval writer he is translating.

Geoffrey Chaucer's fresh, but, sometimes very sentimental text tells the story of the brave knight, Troilus, a `slave of love', Criseyde, a realistic widow, and their go-between, the intriguer and opportunist, Pandarus.

For the idealist, Troilus: 'Next to the foulest nettle, tick and rough, / Rises the rose in sweetness, smooth and soft.'

For the realist, Criseyde: 'Am I to love and put myself in danger? / Am I to lose my darling liberty? / She who loves none has little cause for tears. / Husbands are always full of jealousy' / And men are too untrue /Or masterful, or hunting novelty.'

The sly intriguer Pandarus brings them together: 'Just as with dice chance governs every throw / So too with love, its pleasures come and go.'

However, the love between Troilus and Criseyde cannot blossom for political reasons. The realist betrays the idealist.

For Troilus (Chaucer), the fundamental question is: 'Since all that comes, comes by necessity / Thus to be lost is but my destiny.'
Was his fate ruled by predestination or was there only foreknowledge by God? 'To prone predestination, yet again others affirm we have free choice. To question which is cause of which, / and see Whether the fact of God's foreknowledge is / the certain cause of the necessity.'
Chaucer's answer is `determinism': 'And this is quite sufficient anyway To prove free choice in us a mere pretence.'

However, the priests are not his favorites: 'The temple priests incline to tell you this / That dreams are sent as Heaven's revelations; / They also tell you, and with emphasis / They're diabolic hallucinations.'

For Chaucer, 'Think this world is but a fair / passing as soon as flower-scent in air.'

This poem is not as strong as the Canterbury Tales, but it is a must read for all lovers of world literature.

Please be careful! Everything on this page gives you the impression that this is a hardcover version of Shoaf's edition of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde. IT IS NOT - IT DOES NOT EVEN CONTAIN THE POEM. This is a collection of essays about the poem that is really only suited to Chaucer scholars. Don't make the same mistake I made. It should be subtitled - ESSAYS - or have some other clear description of the nature of the book. I can not evaluate the essays, because I haven't yet read the poem because of this mis-identification of these Essays with the Superior Shoaf edition of Troilus and Criseyde by Chaucer.

This is a great edition for the masochist literature lover who wants to attempt middle english text. The footnotes are well researched and the supplementary papers are great additions.

As to the actual story, it is a wonderful, if not a little too realistic, love story taking place during the Trojan war. It mixes Greek customs and period with Chaucer's life in the middle ages. The story confuses itself with middle age customs with ancient greek traditions, with some parts completely unable to be understood (as the footnotes can atest with the same difficulties).

A good edition for English majors, bad for the faint of heart.

Your web-page is misleading. It quotes, and the image displays, the Middle English original of the poem. The inside pages shown are from the Middle English edition. However, (and the modernized title should be a giveaway, but it wasn't) the edition on this page is in modern English -- a translation, not Chaucer's poem. You need to clean up this page, take away the Middle English quotations, state that it's a modern translation, and refer the prospective buyer to the actual, modernized edition -- which the buyer may or may not want (in my case I did not), with assistance in finding the actual Middle English masterpiece.

As a great fan of medieval mysteries, I was compelled to read this one by Amy Coffin's very favorable review on her website, The Book Haven. I found this book to be exciting, gripping, and fascinating in what it reveals about the history of the period which gave rise to Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES.

The story is woven around a tangle of political intrigue, religious rivalry, and well-drawn, complex characters. Geoffrey Chaucer finds himself accused of a murder he didn't commit, and must call upon his friends in high places to give him a chance to discover the true killer.

If you enjoy the works of Michael Jecks, Kate Sedley and Candace Robb, give Mary Devlin a try. You'll be glad you did!

Sorry, but I was very disappointed. I read the glowing reviews, and as a medieval mystery addict and Chaucer fan, I was really looking forward to it. However, I found the level of writing to be mediocre. Having read the Canterbury Tales, I found the author's re-tellings very dull. Certainly not worth $[price].

This book is written in an irritating jump-around style, with pilgrim's tales roughly woven into the storyline in such a fashion that the reader is tempted to skip to the last pages to read the end. Also, Chaucer and some of the other characters spend so much time crying that the storyline becomes tedious. This author was clearly inspred by P.C. Doherty...and proves that inspiration alone isn't adequate!

"Murder on the Canterbury Pilgrimage" is a delightful addition to the growing canon of medieval mysteries. Ever since Umberto Eco wrote his brilliant "Name of the Rose", followed by Ellis Peters with her Brother Cadfael series, the idea of the medieval sleuth solving crimes in the face of superstition has become increasingly popular.

Ms. Devlin gives a new twist to the genre in introducing none other than Geoffrey Chaucer as the the protagonist. And what a perfect choice he is! Writer, spy, astrologer, and keen observer of human nature, Chaucer is just the man to solve the mystery of who murdered the gypsy Sophia, en route to Canterbury.

This book, in addition to giving us a wonderful mystery, also does a fine job of setting Chaucer in the context of his time, and making his world come alive. I've always felt that historical figures can be understood better if one has some insight into their culture, whether it be medieval, Roman, Victorian, etc.

A book such as this is the perfect way to create a vivid picture of Chaucer's world, which the author has done very well. I would compare Devlin's novel favorably to the marvelous Nicholas Bracewell mysteries by Edward Marston, set in the London theater scene of the 1590s. Both make the past come alive with real people (even in fiction).

A highly recommended read!

Set in England during the late 1300s, "Murder on the Canterbury Pilgrimage" begins with a group destined for the Canterbury Cathedral, to pay homage to the Christian shrine of St. Thomas Becket. Among the group is Geoffrey Chaucer, a famous English poet and an employee of King Richard II. Although Geoffrey isn't a fictitious character, the mystery he sets out to uncover is. It was never proven he was a detective, but his interests in occult practices--such as astrology and Tarot card reading--certainly are relevant, proving to be just as useful as the clues he finds.

The mystery begins when a young gypsy woman (Sophia) is found stabbed in the heart while asleep in her bed. The initial suspect is Jack the summoner, who vanishes shortly after Sophia's death. However, there are others who are just as liable to be the killer: Sir Richard de Burgoyne, who strongly discouraged his son Simon from associating with Sophia; the jealous friar Sophia had flirted with; even Geoffrey himself. After all, it was his Tarot card that was found next to Sophia's body.

Out of desperation to clear his name, Geoffrey contacts a good friend of his: John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster. With his help--as well as that from a few other pilgrims--,they begin to unravel Sophia's mysterious past and her connection to the Church, discovering an evil brotherhood that will do anything to preserve the sanctity of the Roman Catholic Church.

Even though I'm not familiar with the Middle Ages, I thoroughly enjoyed this timeless tale of corrupt clergy and the unconventional methods of profiling Sophia's killer. Not to missed if you like medieval mysteries.