Chaucer

After years (a couple at least) I finally finished Canterbury Tales this morning. Rewarding.

I think I'd started it more than once over my 53 years. A lot of us had to memorize the first bit of the first prologue in high school so that we would learn to speak and appreciate a little Middle English. Maybe we had to read one of the tales as well. On a solo drive to Baltimore I rented a Middle English audio version and got up through about half of the Knight's Tale. I would suggest a modern translation though, for one's first try, which is what I just finished. I'm sure purists might tell me I didn't really read Chaucer, but oh well.

My favorite tale you ask? The Squire's Tale showed great promise - a steed of brass that can teleport, a mirror that could show the future, a ring that could translate birdsong and identify healing herbs, and a sword that could cut through any armor but whose flat could bind a wound. But just when the tale gets a head of steam, the Franklin cuts him off and starts his own tale; I was so annoyed! For the first time I hopped on the internet for reasons why the Squires Tale goes unfinished. Theories abound, but Chaucer definitely cuts it off on purpose - something about incest being an issue?

The last of Chaucer's tales is the Parson's Tale. A word of warning, intrepid reader - it is the longest of the tales, and it is, in fact, not a tale but a treatise on Sin and Pentance. Again, I went to the internet for an explanation. One theory is that Chaucer was a little worried that some of the earlier tales might be a little two bawdy, and that this would temper feelings towards the work somewhat. OK.