They are closer to a long series of quotations than an actual narrative. In addition, the unabridged version includes lesser known tales, some of which are dismally boring, such as the Tale of Melibee or the Parson's Tale, both in prose. Sadly, soon enough afterwards, no structure is perceptible and tales simply follow one another with no apparent logic. For instance, the first tales such as the miller's and the reeve's are cleverly linked to one another. This unabridged version makes one realize however that this work was never finished or has been incompletely transmitted to us. Also, the excellent translation makes the work perfectly accessible and easy to understand. The narrators are varied and talented they certainly succeed in bringing out the most from each tale. Listening to the Canterbury Tales as an audio book is probably the best way to fully appreciate them, as they were certainly conceived to be listened to and not read silently for oneself. This one is my favorite because of Raffel others may suit your taste better. Any one of them provides a wonderful listening experience. It's amazing that in only a few months, Audible has gone from a skimpy selection of Chaucer to three outstanding recordings of the complete set of Tales: one from Charlton Griffin, one from Blackstone, and this one from the BBC. If you're planning to listen straight through, that's not a problem, but I would have preferred the ability to be more selective. The only thing marring the production are the chapter breaks: they are geared to the CDs rather than the individual tales. This is a high-quality, multiple-reader production, and it includes all the tales (including the Tale of Melibee and the Parson's Tale). The rhyming is more subtle than in other translations of Chaucer, but it's there and the tales unfold with seemingly effortless clarity.
#Canterbury tales middle english audio free#
free to experiment with narrative in a more audacious way, to challenge orthodoxies old and yet to be formulated, and to explore, exploit, enrich and subvert all the many available kinds of medieval story.Burton Raffel is the crown prince of Old and Middle English translators in my book, and his Chaucer is another masterpiece. during what the Middle Ages would have considered Chaucer s old age. free to experiment with narrative in a more audacious way, to challenge orthodoxies old and yet to be formulated, and to explore, exploit, enrich and subvert all the many available kinds of medieval story. free to experiment with narrative in a more audacious way, to challenge orthodoxies old and yet to be formulated, and to explore, exploit, enrich and subvert all the many available kinds of medieval story." -from the Introduction by Derek Pearsall during what the Middle Ages would have considered Chaucer's old age.
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