Troilus and Criseyde (1385) by: Geoffrey Chaucer - Softcover

Chaucer, Geoffrey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1539387925 ISBN 13: 9781539387923

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016

Synopsis

Troilus and Criseyde (Modern English:is a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer which re-tells in Middle English the tragic story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde set against a backdrop of war during the Siege of Troy. It was composed using rime royale and probably completed during the mid 1380s. Many Chaucer scholars regard it as the poet's finest work. As a finished long poem it is more self-contained than the better known but ultimately uncompleted Canterbury Tales. This poem is often considered the source of the phrase: "all good things must come to an end" (3.615). Although Troilus is a character from Ancient Greek literature, the expanded story of him as a lover was of Medieval origin. The first known version is from Benoît de Sainte-Maure's poem Roman de Troie, but Chaucer's principal source appears to have been Boccaccio who re-wrote the tale in his Il Filostrato. Chaucer attributes the story to a "Lollius" (whom he also mentions in The House of Fame), although no writer with this name is known.[1] Chaucer's version can be said to reflect a less cynical and less misogynistic world-view than Boccaccio's, casting Criseyde as fearful and sincere rather than simply fickle and having been led astray by the eloquent and perfidious Pandarus. It also inflects the sorrow of the story with humour.

About this title

Review:

"James Dean and Harriet Spiegel have produced an elegant edition of Chaucer's masterpiece that will stand next to the Broadview Canterbury Tales as the most widely adapted classroom edition. It wears its considerable learning lightly and lets Chaucer's poetry speak for itself, while still providing helpful notes and glosses to guide the reader. Spiegel is widely known as a translator of medieval literature and Dean is one of the most respected scholars and editors of his generation. Together they make a great team, and it shows on every page and every line of this edition. It will be on my syllabus, and I recommend it to everyone who teaches the Troilus." -- John Ganim, University of California at Riverside

"Everything a reader of Troilus would want: generous glossing; a lucid review of critical history; excerpts from Boccaccio and Benoit de Sainte-Maure; and a full text and translation, prepared specifically for this edition, of Henryson's Testament. And much more." -- Sarah Stanbury, College of the Holy Cross

From the Back Cover:

Geoffrey Chaucer's most significant literary accomplishment may well be Troilus and Criseyde, a single, profoundly philosophical narrative of a tragic love affair. Set in ancient Troy and telling the story of the rise and fall, in love and war, of prince Troilus, Troilus and Criseyde is an archetypal medieval romance. The widowed Criseyde is a powerful woman, complex and intelligent, and the naive Troilus is ambushed by his overwhelming love for her; Pandarus, Troilus's friend and the enabler of the couple's love, provides comic relief. Chaucer used his familiarity with the works of Giovanni Boccaccio and Benoit de Sainte-Maure to build his own historical world, depicting pagan beliefs and myths with sympathy and imagination.

This edition is based on the Corpus Christi College Cambridge manuscript of Troilus and Criseyde; the manuscript text is conservatively edited and the original Middle English text is used. Difficult words are conveniently glossed in the margins, and explanatory footnotes help with references and allusions.

About this edition

• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1539387925
• ISBN 13: 9781539387923
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 122