Chaucer In Modern English Prose The Canterbury Tales

This book presents Chaucer's Canterbury Tales in modern English prose. Already Middle English is sufficiently obscure to deter even those interested in English literature. How many have read the whole of the Canterbury Tales? Even fewer will have read his other works. The purpose of this book is to allow the reader easy access to Chaucer's meaning apart from the poetic presentation. This is to put more emphasis on what he says rather than the way he says it. Chaucer's works are a commentary on 14th century life and literature, much of it in prose. There are then two reasons for reading Chaucer. One is for social history, and the other for his poetry. To separate the two can only make his work more accessible. Hopefully this will lead to a greater appreciation of medieval English literature in general.