[.ca] The Canterbury Tales (ISBN 9626340444)

From Amazon.com:
On a spring day in April--sometime in the waning years of the 14th century--29 travelers set out for Canterbury on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Saint Thomas Beckett. Among them is a knight, a monk, a prioress, a plowman, a miller, a merchant, a clerk, and an oft-widowed wife from Bath. Travel is arduous and wearing; to maintain their spirits, this band of pilgrims entertains each other with a series of tall tales that span the spectrum of literary genres. Five hundred years later, people are still reading Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of the Franklin, the Pardoner, or the Squire because you never learned Middle English, take heart: this edition of the Tales has been translated into modern idiom. From the heroic romance of "The Knight's Tale" to the low farce embodied in the stories of the Miller, the Reeve, and the Merchant, Chaucer treated such universal subjects as love, sex, and death in poetry that is simultaneously witty, insightful, and poignant. The Canterbury Tales is a grand tour of 14th-century English mores and morals--one that modern-day readers will enjoy.

Brilliant:
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer inform us of what is was like to live in the Middle Ages and experience a real pilgrimage. This does not read like a novel, rather it is a frame-story that includes a collection of short stories for each character. A Knight's Tale is the classic court romance with chivalry and contempt, although a bit long, it is one of the better tales in this compilation. Chaucer emits his satire exceedingly well through the tale of the Pardoner, sure to entertain the witty reader. Other tales consist of just plain humor, as in the Carpenter's Tale and Reeve's Tale. Do not let the Middle English prohibit you from reading this, for this edition includes both the Middle English, which not exceedinly difficult to read once you get into the rhythm, and modern English. The Canterbury Tales is an absolutely wonderful collection of stories that has something to offer each reader.

Stories are good, but syntax is lacking:
While the 'Tales' in this volume are no less amusing and relevant, I would have preferred for it to have been read in Middle English, maintaining the original flow and meter (which is not that hard to understand after hearing it for a while).

Poetry for the ages.:
If you haven't read the Canterbury Tales in their native language than you are missing out. It isn't very hard, once you get in the flow of things it becomes just like reading anything else. The Bantam edition allows you to read the translated or the native version. I was disapointed at the amount of tales in this edition though. I was looking for a fuller picture of the tales, yet the translaters picked the tales that they fealt were the most important and I did enjoy it very much. For any of you out there that want to read the full Canterbury Tales in Middle-English I would suggest the Norton Anthology of Middle English Literature. That is Volume 1A of their English literature Anthology. It shows the full story without any translations. It is very exstensively annotated though, so you can decipher the Middle-English vocabulary. No matter what edition you read though, your in for a genuine literary treat.

Chaucer is simply sumblime !:
There have been few writers and poets with the same vigor, fortiude and knowledge like that of Geoffrey Chaucer. He is verily in the same league as Sidney, Shakespeare, Donne and Dante. He is writing is as I wrote in the title sublime; it is like he was touched by the hand of God himself and with that pen his writing came to life. Alas, this is an art that is mostly lost these days and most writers of the last 100 years are mediocre to bad compared to the old masters.

Classic Chaucer!!:
When everyone says that Chaucer's Canterbury Tales are among the best of his time, I must agree. Chaucer was set with the task of creating tales told by "nine and twenty" people, and although these tales were never completed, the edition we do have is quite enjoyable. These twenty-nine characters, from the knight to the pardoner, describe everyday occupations during the medieval period. Chaucer uses sharp wit and occasional dirty humor to emphasize the moral lessons each tale teaches. Not only do the tales themselves teach us, but the characters that tell them. Chaucer has been brilliant to create the exalted knight, gentle prioress, rowdy miller, lively squire, and more! If you want to experience such an absorbing classic you must read it yourself!