The Complete Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: Now First Put Into Modern English (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Tatlock, John S. P.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1331153719 ISBN 13: 9781331153719

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Excerpt from The Complete Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer: Now First Put Into Modern English

Chaucer's entire poetic works have never before been put into modern English. Parts of them, especially of the Canterbury Tales, have been retold in one place or another in both prose and verse, some of the latter by pens so great as Wordsworth's, Pope's, and Dryden's; but hitherto a more nearly adequate idea of a marvelously individual and many-sided poet could be obtained only through his original text. That such is the best way to obtain it the present editors would be the first to urge. But most readers need not be told that it can be so acquired only by dint of somewhat thorough study; even more thorough than the casual reader can realize, for yet more baffling than frankly obsolete words are the countless words and idioms which have subtly changed their meaning. And undoubtedly such study at first may form a mist between the reader and a sym pathetic comprehension of the poet. The melody of his verse, too, which the modernizer is so grieved to disturb, can be heard only by the practised ear. It is believed, therefore, that the present volume will be welcome to a good number of cultivated people everywhere.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

About this title

About the Author

Often referred to as the father of English poetry, Geoffrey Chaucer was a fourteenth-century philosopher, alchemist, astrologer, bureaucrat, diplomat, and author of many significant poems. Chaucer s writing was influential in English literary tradition, as it introduced new rhyming schemes and helped develop the vernacular traditionthe use of everyday Englishrather than the literary French and Latin, which were common in written works of the time. Chaucer s best-knownand most imitatedworks include The Canterbury Tales, Troilus and Criseyde, The Book of the Duchess, and The House of Fame.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1331153719
• ISBN 13: 9781331153719
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 680