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The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (K.D. and Nancy). Start Date: February 1, Wednesday
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Well, February is still a couple of weeks away but I purposely made this thread this early, just in case anyone might be interested. If you are, just drop a line anytime.
K.D., why do you want to read The Canterbury Tales? For my part, I maintain a book blog and I've been leaning towards classics and literary reviews lately. So when I visited my shelves with the plan of reading what classic books I have and realized that I haven't completed reading The Canterbury Tales that my high school teacher has long ago recommended to me, I'm ashamed. Also, I've been intrigued by the diversity of the characters and even the tales in the book.
Nance: Oh, I'd like to read Canterbury because:1) It was the book selected, read and discussed by our class salutatorian when we were in high school. Eh crush ko yon.
2) It is unique. It is in poetry form yet it tells about many parallel stories. It is said to have inspired many writers.
3) It tells about the time in England that I'm interested about: monks, knights, etc. Parang Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth.
4) It is a 501 and 1001 book.
5) I want to challenge myself. But I thought I need a buddy to push me in reading and finishing this.
Hey, K.D. How are you? :-) Sorry about not getting back to this thread after your reply. I like your reasons; I mean, there's no better reason to read a book when one'e crush recommends it. Unfortunately, in my case, my past crushes don't read books (they prefer beating the crap out of drums). We start reading the Canterbury Tales today, starting off with the General Prologue for today. Do you have a reading schedule? I work full-time, so I can only read during lunch hour and post my thoughts after work.
So you can start off this discussion after you've read it, nothing formal.
Hmmm...The Knight's Tale is quite a long one, so I might do an advance reading on it if I want to finish it by tomorrow noon.
We invite anyone who's interested to read The Canterbury Tales with us. It would be interesting to check out the bawdy scenes in the book, don't you think? :-D
Hello, buddy Nancy. Thanks for dropping me a note here. Looks like you will become my favorite buddy now. :)Day 1: PROLOGUE - Wed, Feb 1st
I read all the introductory parts last night and this morning, I finished "The General Prologue." I am reading the latest re-telling. The one of Peter Ackroyd. I cannot find this edition here in GR. I think I have to add it myself. Maybe later. This came out in 2009. I bought this from SM Clark last year for P600 (discounted from P729). Ackroyd converted the poems into prose but actually it is only in the structure. So, it looks like a prose but still translated almost word for word. Quite tricky really but since I generally prefer prose than poetry, I like this rather than... my second copy.
Oh yes, I also have the Penguin Classics' edition. Translated into Modern English by Nevill Coghill that came out in 1951 but my copy was a reprint in 2003. I still browse this book right after reading Ackroyd's to see the difference.
Regarding the "General Prologue" (Ackroyd) or "Prologue" (Coghill), the characters are introduced one by one starting with the Knight, Squire, Yeoman, Prioress, Monk, Friar, Merchant, Oxford Cleric, Sergeant at Law, Franklin, Cook, Skipper, Doctor, Bath Woman, Plowman, Miller, Manciple, Reeve, Summoner, Pardoner to the Host.
This reminds me of One Thousand and One Nights where Scheherazade has to tell tales non-stop otherwise she will die. Here the host tells each of the pilgrims to tell two stories going to Canterbury and other 2 stories coming back. The host will give free meal to the winner. They draw lots and the Knight goes first since he is the one who has gotten the shortest stick.
They are going to Canterbury to venerate St. Thomas for their woes and ailments.
While reading I remember Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth because of the professions of the characters: monk, friar, prioress, etc. I saw my characters in some of them too. Quite fascinating. Should be an interesting read.
One chapter a day is my plan. I will just put my thoughts here.
Oh yes, I never knew that there are direct references to sex in this book. I thought that this was all old, archaic and ancient. Oh God, this is obscene and shocking that is not apparent if you are reading the original old English.
Thanks muchos for starting off the discussion, K.D. I just finished reading The General Prologue. So far, it's absorbing. I'm actually having fun putting faces to the characters as they are being introduced--faces who are familiar to me, such as my former school directress (a nun) for the Prioress. I found myself grinning because some of the descriptions actually fit the real peolple I put on the characters of the story.
Admirable how the narrator provided enough facts for me to imagine how each of the characters mentioned and described in the General Prologue actually look like and behave upon first meeting. Well, in my case, I’m not having much difficulty imagining because I’m reading the prose version of the book by R. M. Lumiansky. I bought this for Php 60 at a thrift bookstore near my place. It’s quite torn but still a keepsake.
You see, reading and understanding poetry is a skill I have yet to master, which is quite ironic for someone who loves to read. So while I want to explore poetry further, I very much prefer reading prose (in complete comprehensible sentences) for The Canterbury Tales, thank you very much. If you are reading the book in verse, translated or otherwise, you have my utter respect and admiration. I tried reading the Middle English version of the General Prologue, but I have to swim my way through a lot of “y” and “e” in the words that I found myself gasping for air (of course, that’s an overstatement, but you get what I mean).
I’m no expert of Medieval History but descriptions of the characters clearly show the division of society into social classes, including the military (knight and squire), the religious/clergy (priores, monk, friar, etc.), and the civilians or ordinary people (cook, doctor, miller, etc.). When it comes to social classes, I am often reminded of my wishlist: The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. My book blogger friends say the story is creepy but worth every minute you’ve read it. Have you read it?
I agree with you there: the General Prologue sounds like One Thousand and One Nights, although nothing dramatic as the latter. The Canterbury Tales are several stories within one story. Please correct me if I’m wrong: there are 29 people in the group who are supposed to tell their stories but there are only 23 chapters in the book that tells stories. Does that mean Chaucer did not complete the book?
I, too, never knew that The Canterbury Tales contain some, uh, lewd scenes until a book blogger friend mentioned it, recalling how her class of very young people was required to read the book. In the General Prologue alone, the Squire is already starting to show manifestations of, uh, boldness.
I will be posting about The Canterbury Tales in three parts this month. I already made a post in my blog, inviting my friends to join us in the reading, sort of a readalong (following the mechanics of a readalong event). So far, only one has expressed and she will be joining me in coming up with the three posts on The Canterbury Tales this month.
Good morning, Nancy my friend!You seem to be a very sensible young woman and I admire your interest in reading classic literature. People like you are now rare. Most of them are into YA and contemporary fiction. I hope you appreciate that about yourself.
It's good that you are also reading the verse translation instead of the original poetry. I enjoy this latest translation of Peter Ackroyd but I still browse every now and then the version in original poetry by Coghill. They are almost the same except that Ackroyd uses modern English. But all the verbiages are captured. So, I would say that the Chaucer's syntax and and the narrator's tone are there.
I've read Atwood's speculative fiction, The Handmaid's Tale. I had two ladies as reading buddies in the TFG group. I liked it!
Unfortunately, I am not a blogger. Oh I have one at Tumblr as I was prodded by my daughter to open one so I can have a secondary site to keep my book reviews. But I am not religiously updating it because I have no time. My internet time is normally for work-related matters as well as here in Goodreads. Almost no time to put anything in FB and Twitter as well. I do not have time for those anymore.
Day 2: The KNIGHT'S TALE - Thu, Feb 2nd
My bet: This might be the winner of the free dinner!
I really liked this! (4 stars)
Two men who survive a battle. Cousins of royal lineage. They are put in jail by their captor - the enemy king. While in cell, they see a pretty lady. They both fall in love with her. She is the sister of the king.
Man #1 gets pardoned because the king has a friend who is Man #1's gay lover. One on condition: Man #1 will be beheaded right away if he comes back. So, Man#1 hides his identity by pretending to be a poor man. He goes back to the king's village, wins his confidence and becomes his squire.
Man #2 escapes the prison and hides in the forest. One day, Man #2 hears Man #1's lamentations in the forest where Man #1 reveals his identity without knowing that Man #2 is there. So, they confront each other and agree to have a duel.
All these while the Gods atop the Mt. Olympus are listening. Venus sides with Man #1 and Mars sides with Man #2 while Diana is the one the girl is praying to. Saturn intercedes.
Stop. I am not Peter Ackroyd doing my own retelling.
What I liked about this story is the presence of Gods and Goddesses. It's very komiks during my boyhood days in the province. I have not read Homer's twin books on this but read Edith Hamilton already and I liked those fantasy stories.
This is also a surprisingly nice read. When people hear about "The Canterbury Tales" by Chaucer, many of them will just both bother about reading an old archaic book like this. However, the translation uses Modern English and there is nothing to be scared about. It's an easy read. I actually finished the whole chapter while having my monthly haircut and listening to ABS-CBN and I was listening to the news that President Noynoy is dating Grace Lee who is my favorite morning talk show host.
But of course my monthly haircut includes the barber haircut, hair dye and hot oil/hair spa. So, matagal din sya.
The story is really, really nice. One little nitpicking for me is that why did Man #1 broadcast who he is in the forest? Normal people don't do that especially if you are hiding your identity har har.
Yon lang.
Good morning, Nancy, my dear book buddy. I hope that when you are reading this entry, you are in good health and free from any misfortunes. Wala lang :)You are right in your observation written the other day. Whenever I start reading a tale, I go back to the General Prologue to reread the description of the narrator.
Day 3: Miller's Tale - Fri, Feb 3rd
I still liked this! (3 stars)
The story is solid. What I notice is Chaucer's charming portrayal of his characters. The narration of the Miller is different from that of the Knight. The Miller is a drunkard and vulgar. So, his tale is something that a drunkard would tell during his drinking sessions and it is peppered by lots of vulgarities. Ewww. Imagine the man kissing the asshole of the maiden and he even french kissed the hole! It's kind of gross but yet it adds layer to Chaucer's storytelling. I could not wait to hear the other tales.
This tale is short and sweet. If the Knight's Tale has the Greek gods and goddesses, this one has the tale of Noah and the belief in God. It even mentioned the White Death (the plague that was the cause of many deaths in Europe during Chaucer's time). He chose to make fun of it rather than take it seriously and it fascinated me because maybe he did not intend to make this a scary tale but humorous and fun to read.
I hope you are still reading. I will read this weekend (Sat and Sun) but not sure if I will have time to write entries here. Will try but sometimes I get too engrossed reading and no time to open and tinker with my keyboard.
Happy weekend dear Nancy!
Hi, K. D. Thank you for your kind words. I love classics but that doesn’t mean I don’t read YA and contemporary fiction. I do, but not as often as I read classics and historical fiction. However, I’m still trying to comprehend/understand/grasp the kind of modern YA novels proliferating today. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t even finished The Knight’s Tale because I was working overtime yesterday and when I got home, I ended up asleep before I even got to finish the said chapter and key in my thoughts. Sorry about that. I have a lot of catching up to do.
Regarding the chapter, I don’t want to bet yet because I haven’t read the other tales, but I agree with you: (so far, me) it’s good!
I’m such a sucker for mythology, gods and goddesses included. Like you, I’ve read Edith Hamilton’s version.
I admire Chaucer’s effective shifting of voices, from the narrator in the General Prologue to being just a listener to the Knight. Then the Knight tells his tale in his way, another totally different character talking to the readers. With this, and with the structure starting off with an overview before giving us the juicy details, Chaucer displayed his advanced writing style.
You have a great idea there: I’m going to a parlor tomorrow to finish the next chapter. Oh yeah, President’s love life... will it ever end? :-)
Since I haven’t completed the whole chapter yet, I will post my thoughts later tonight. But today is Chapter 3. I will put in additional thoughts in the past chapters as we progress. I hope that’s okay with you.
Okay lang ako. (Darn, my Tagalog really sucks.) :-)
My dear Nancy,Thank you for your note. It's okay if you are a bit late. Work comes first as it is the one that pays your bills. This book can wait. Just feel free to ignore my entries here so that I will not spoil your fun.
I also have a 8-5 work but I am not a mother. Just this morning, I finished "The Miller's Tale" (the 3rd story) and I really liked it. Afterwards, I replaced the bulb of the lighting in our kitchen. Then I played "Plants vs Zombies." Then my wife called me to lunch. Then I am supposed to clean and put my clothes in order inside my cabinet but I thought I should check my GR and see if I have a
I am for Grace Lee as the first lady. I am a regular listener of GoodTimes (89.9 Magic 6-9 a.m. M through Th). Grace seems to be morally upright, just, jolly, eloquent and she likes children that much that if there is a smart child-caller, she asks the child to drop by and she gives him/her iPod, PSP, etc. It's just that my friend officemate says that PNoy is not the marrying type. He will drop Grace Lee someday.
Day 4: Reeve's Tale - Sat, Feb 4
Another tale from a drunk man. The Reeve told a similar story as that of the Miller: with sex scene. I agree with you that Chaucer is very good with giving specific voice to each of his characters. The Reeve is an old man and I was able to identify myself with his prologue. It's just that the host interrupted him by asking whether he is a priest.
I enjoyed the story because it is tautly told. However, I did not like the way used darkness as an excuse. In the Miller's Tale, the lover outside the house did not know that he was kissing the ass of the lady. Now, the characters got jumbled up because of darkness. Again! Also, Chaucer seems to have a chauvinistic inclination. All of his female characters so far seem like sex-starved women. Imagine the virginal daughter here who for the first time (seemed like) had sex and yet she moaned with pleasure.
Oh well, this is a drank man's tale so I am not betting on this.
Rating: It's okay (2 stars)
No need to curse your Tagalog. Your English is perfect naman :) Ingat lagi.
K.D., I’m catching up! I’m sorry for the delay. I’m adjusting to this daily online discussion of thoughts, although I continue to read one chapter a day.The Miller’s Tale
The division of social classes is made clear by the sequence of storytellers, starting off with the noble knight. Supposedly, the monk comes next but the sequence was interrupted by the drunken miller who subtly blamed the host for his state of drunkenness. Even the narrator has looked down on the miller and the reeve and other “lower” social classes. One’s position in the society is clearly important during the period of The Canterbury Tales. Even the tales being told shows this division and treatment towards an individual according to his standing in the community.
The miller’s tale is a clever one. Since the miller is treated as someone in the lower class, one would not expect a good tale out of him. But he did not disappoint. He shows his prowess in storytelling by the satisfactory arrangement of the story and the way he describes his characters, especially the young wife, the cause of all agony. I mean, without the wife, there would be no story.
The story itself is a fast-paced one. And yes, there are green scenes, which are told openly, which can easily be forgiven since the miller’s audience are all adults. The obvious sin in the story, though, which is called adultery, is unforgivable. The moral lesson is: No good will come to those who take advantage of their neighbors, no matter how stupid these neighbors can be. I laughed when I read the time when clever Nicholas’ ass is scorched. I’d say, it was Absalom’s turn to become clever.
Here is my favorite line: “Man should marry a woman similar to him. Men should wed their contemporaries, for youth and age are often at odds. But since he had fallen into the trap, he had to bear his burden like other people.” Debatable, but well written.
The miller’s tale is just one of those stories that give us a glimpse into the medieval period by the description of their dresses, their household materials, and their behavior.
The Reeve’s Tale
I was really laughing with this one. If the storytelling contest requires humorous tales, I’d say this one would likely be a finalist. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I think all the characters in this tale are stupid. This tale is even more bawdy than that of the miller’s, almost reaching the point of disgusting. And the turn of events is unbelievably extraordinary.
I think, though, that while the tale can be both humorous and disgusting to the reader, Chaucer chooses to provide bawdy yet truthful reflections of the behavior of real people because to not include these, he would not have portrayed well the world he wanted to show. And I think that’s what makes The Canterbury Tales awfully popular.
In the Reeve’s tale, It was not really clear why the miller was stealing when he was having good business with the people in town. But like the miller’s tale, it follows the moral: He who does must not expect good.
The Cook’s Tale
Unfortunately, this tale was cut short.
It’s weird how the characters mock each other for their social standing. Well, the cook commits “indirectly” crimes like poisoning people with his meals, so that probably merits some “looking down”, according to Chaucer.
Like the reeve’s tale, the moral of the story is: crime doesn’t pay. An apprentice steals money from his master, and so the master, considering the apprentice as a rotten apple who can rot others, decides to fire him. I would love to know the ending of this one, especially when the apprentice begins to cast his sights on his acquaintance’s wife who whores for a living.
But Chaucer, God bless his soul, did not complete this tale. (Maybe at this time, he was suffering from food poisoning? Lol).
Of the three tales, though, I consider the miller’s as the best written but like you, I wouldn’t bet on it as the winner of the contest.
Good morning Nancy,Sorry for the striken double messages last weekend. I posted that last Saturday at home and my GR hanged. I neither could delete nor edit that comment. It was only this morning, here in the office, that I was able to do it.
It's okay if you are late. Reading buddy setup has it's own advantages and disadvantages. Advantage: it will "force" you to continue reading. Disadvantage: that forcing makes it not pleasurable while doing it har har. The main reason is that you are not at your own pace and the typing adds to the time you spent with the book. Oh, the face-to-face book discussion that we had for 1984 last Jan 28 was the best. Spontaneous and very interactive. Oh you should join in one of those when you come to Manila!
So, I was not able to post what I read last Sunday: the Cook's Tale although there was not much in it, anyway. Here goes:
Day 5: Cook's Tale Sun, Feb 5
The story is about an apprentice who steals his master's money. The master decides to dismiss him so as not "to infect other apples in the basket." So the apprentice leaves and gets himself a business then marries a wife who in truth is a prostitute.
At that point, he is cut by the prioress who gets offended because of a whore story.
Rating: 2 stars (because it is brief and he did not pursue it :)
My reactions to your last post.
I like the way you figure for your self the morals of the story. After reading the "Cook's Tale" last Saturday, I read the "retraction" by Chaucer at the end of the book. Both of my two books have this. Chaucer "denounced" some of his tales in shame. Probably, he felt, before he died, that some of the tales were indecent and would prevent him from going to heaven. Sounds like Anne Rice and her retraction from writing the Beauty trilogy har har.
My take is that Chaucer wrote those vulgar tales just to catch attention. Anyway, the narrators of those were drunk men and you know some of us men use the reason that we are drunk when we do some silly things. :)
The Miller's Tale, your best written, is one of the vulgar tales.
Good morning Nancy dear,How are you? You were in my mind yesterday when the earthquake struck Negros. When I heard that there it was also intensity 5.2(?) in Cebu, I prayed that the Good Lord would spare you and your loved ones. I hope everything is okay and let me know if there is anything I can be of help with.
I finished reading the Man of Law's Tale last night and the Wife of Bath's Tale this morning. They are both well-told.
Day 6: Man of Law's Tale - Mon, Feb 6
Rating: 4 stars!
Most comprehensive tale so far and it is even divided into three parts. The tale revolves around Constance who is so beautiful that a king in a Muslim country falls in love with her even if he hasn't seen her yet. I did not like the way Chaucer created the picture of Muslim race as barbaric and hideous. It is so pathetic. But this was the old world. Even now, some people in the West still think that way especially after 9/11 but they are misinformed people. Much more during that time when there was no airplane yet and people had to take many days to travel overseas.
However, I enjoyed the tale itself. Constance is akin to Scarlett in Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind. So strong and full of conviction. The first tale that features a woman with strong character and not subservient to the whims and caprices of men. Way to go Chaucer!
Day 7: Wife of Bath's Tale - Tue, Feb 7
Rating: 3 stars!
Very long yet very interesting prologue. I do not agree with many of those pronouncements especially the biblical references but the way she uttered them was very funny. Why is she called the Wife of Bath? Because she has 5 husbands? What does bath have to do with it?
I think this tells a lot about how women were treated during Chaucer's time. I have a feeling that this wife of bath is an exception to the rule considering that England is a Christian country even then and so they believe in monogamy. Maybe Chaucer just wanted to entertain and probably shock the reader by having a woman as liberated as this character.
So, there are now two contenders for the meal in my opinion: The Knight's Tale and the Man of Law's Tale! I both really liked them.
Good evening Nancy my friend,I am still worried about you. Hope you are not one of those who got affected by the earthquake. Oh maybe I have to wait till this weekend. I hope and pray that you will be in this thread this Saturday or Sunday to put in your comments.
I finished reading the Friar's Tale this morning but I did not have time (or maybe I was not really interested that's why I did not remember) to enter my thoughts in this thread. But here goes:
Day 8: Friar's Tale - Wed, Feb 8th
The Summoner got tricked by the Devil himself.
Rating: 2 stars!
I found this tale moralizing. It is to be expected I know since this is a priest speaking. But the way he mocks the summoner is not amusing for me. I know that this was probably how friars during the time of Chaucer behaved. Or maybe Chaucer designed this to make fun of friars.
Mythological gods and goddesses. Christian God. Saints. Now the devil.
I hope the next tale is better.
Good morning, Nancy.I finished the Summoner's Tale this early morning. Today is my wife's birthday and I read the tale prior to her waking up.
Day 9: The Summoner's Tale - Thu, Feb 9th
Rating: 1 star (first tale that I did not like).
The summoner turned the table to the priest. His tale is about this priest who gets "kutong" from the parishioners. He reminded me of the priests in Jose Rizal's Noli Me Tangere. There is no record that Rizal read Jeoffrey Chaucer but I would not be surprised if he did.
The fart. Ewww. I would not imagine a friar groping a man's behind unless he is gay. But the friar is just too greedy to be suspecting. Oh I just did not like this. Sorry.
Hope the next one is better. Anyway, it's okay. Most books have all their boring portions anyway.
K.D., I'm so ashamed beyond repair. And I so admire you for faithfully posting your thoughts daily. Could you give me until Sunday to get back to the daily routine? You know I'm from Cebu and we experienced quite an earthquake last Monday morning, followed by a series of small and big earthquakes. We still have aftershocks even yesterday. Philvocs projected the aftershocks will continue until Saturday/Sunday. When a quake hits, we are forced to get out of the office for an hour or so before we get back to work. As a result, I end up doing overtime to finish some important tasks. I continue to read The Canterbury Tales everyday but I just don't have the spare energy to think and write my thoughts when I get home from work, not to mention the restlessness we feel, thinking whether a quake will hit us today or not. I am so sorry, K.D.! I owe you big-time.P.S. My birthday greetings and regards to your wife, K.D. I admire your finding time to read now that you have family responsibilities. And you manage your time so well.
Good morning, Nancy!Welcome back! I am happy that you survived the earthquake harhar. Oh no, you don't need any repair. Other things come prior to our hobbies. I understand that perfectly. I just don't need a lot of sleep so I can read more than average normal TFG members harhar. Last night, I had a telecon with a US-based colleague at 9-10. I was home at 7:00 p.m. Celebrated my wife's birthday, took a bath and read "Lumbay ng Dila." I fell asleep! harhar. It's good that I woke up 45 mins before 9:00 p.m. I took the call. After the meeting, my brain was still wired and up so I continued reading "Lumbay" up to midnight. I normall do that. I read till I can barely open my eyes har har.
Then at 4:00 a.m., I wake up automatically because I need to go the the C.R. to pee har har. I couldn't sleep anymore after so I went down and read at the sala. I finished "The Clerk's Tale" and I liked it. I do the reading in the morning in front of a bowl of granola or corn flakes. At around 5:45, I took a bath, dressed up and went to the car to wait for my daughter to come down and out.
See? How many reading hours I have? I read in every opportunity harhar. And I speed read harhar.
Day 10: The Clerk's Tale - Fri, Feb 10
Rating: 4 stars! (I really liked this)
First of all, because the clerk is a bookworm so I was able to identify myself with him. Second, the tale is very comprehensive and I love long short stories. (long pero short story sya har har). Third, this is the first time na solid ang character ng strong female hero. She is like Job in the Bible. Steadfast on her belief. Can weather all the storms and trials. Lastly, I found the plot exciting. I was not able to predict anything even if there was nothing that is extraordinary.
My little complaint is that this strong female character, if you really think about it, is stupid. However, that maybe was the time of medieval Italy (was there such a thing?) when kings or marquis lorded over their kingdoms and nobody could go against them even their wives. This is a bit different from the setting of Ken Follett's Pillars or Song of Fire and Ice kasi some female characters in them could fight against men of higher ranks or even overthrow their king-husbands.
Well. I think this one is not at par with the first 2 tales that I thought would compete for the free dinner but this is a nice one.
Day 11: The Merchant's Tale - Sat, Feb 11Rating: 1 star (I don't like it)
An old knight who has been a playboy when he was younger. He is now 60 and he wants to marry. He gets a young wife but the young wife attracts the squire of the knight and they fall in love. The old knight becomes blind and when he is in the garden with his young wife, the wife is fucked by the squire at the top of the tree. Pluto (the Roman god) returns the sight of the knight and so the knight sees the cock of the squire inside his wife pussy. It's THAT vulgar.
That's why I don't like it. Old men should be respected rather than fooled.
Day 12: The Squire's Tale - Sun, Feb 12Rating: 3 stars (I liked it)
The tale of the only daughter of Genghis Khan. The princess has a falcon who is beautiful but the falcon falls in love with a kite. The falcon died but she dies happily having tasted love. The daughter of Genghis Khan cried.
It's a beautiful love story. But it kinda bitin since I thought that the Squire had something else to say. The Squire seemed to be a very interesting character.
Hello Nancy,You must be very busy. I was thinking of waiting for you. Monique appreciated Angus waiting for her who lagged when they were reading Gone With the Wind. But I know you are reading and you just don't have the time to post messages everyday.
I read the Franklin's Tale yesterday morning but I entered my thoughts on the previous chapter yesterday and forgot to put the other one. So, today, I'll post both: that one and the one I read this morning.
Day 13: The Franklin's Tale - Mon, Feb 13
Rating: 4 stars (I really liked it)
This is about a man in love with a married woman. The husband leaves to work abroad leaving the woman. The man lusts after her so much that he pursues her with no letup. Irritated, she says the she will love him only if he can make all the stones on the seashore gone. The man consults a wizard who can create illusions. He says that he can do that if the man can pay him a huge amount of money. The wizard is able to do that and the man pays half and the other half will be by installment. The man goes to the married woman and reminds her of her promise. The woman's husband comes home and she tells him the truth. The husband, a knight, is crying but he does not want her to break her promise so he lets her go. The woman goes to the man but she tells him what happened and the man feels guilty. So, he frees her from her promise. The wizard knowing what happened then frees the man of his debt.
Moral: Just tell the truth! Very clear. If the Corona people will just be truthful, there is no need for the extended and irritating trial.
Good morning, Nancy my buddy!HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES!!!!
Day 14: The Physician's Tale - Tue, Feb 14
Rating: 5 stars! (It's Amazing!)
I know this will not win since this is so short and tragic. But it is the meatiest and the boldest story so far. Not the bold as in with sex but the character of the father and daughter just went on and did what they thought was right.
This is the story of a loving father and an obedient daughter. The father protects his only daughter who is pretty, dutiful and has all the characteristics a father would feel proud of about having a daughter.
Then a judge sees her one day and feels extreme lust towards her. He connives with a lawyer and they together plot a scheme to devirginize the daughter. He lawyer sends a subpoena (I invent some of the terms here because I cannot remember the actual old English terms) and during the hearing the judge does not allow the father to reason out. The verdict: the father has to turn over his daughter to them (judge and the lawyer).
The father goes home and tells her daughter what has happened. He suggests that the daughter should kill herself so she will die as a virgin. The daughter agrees. So, the father beheads her and brings the head of his daughter to the court. The people are aghast and so they inquire what happened. The judge is hanged. The lawyer is incarcerated for life.
Moral: Burn the wicked judges and lawyers and let them all perish on this earth. They don't deserve to live!
Day 15: The Pardoner's Tale - Wed, Feb 15Rating: 3 stars (I liked it!)
Funny as this is about a man who's supposed to have the capability to pardon sins. He has come from Rome and is given that power by the pope.
He tells the story of a man who has wronged people and so he forgives him and he cajoles the pilgrims going to Canterbury to give him money for their sins. Very clever yet sounds so foolish!
I laughed and laughed this morning reading this one.
But I feel so alone. Where are thee Nancy, buddy? Why have thee forsaken meth? (Tama ba yang Anglo-Saxon English ko?) har har.
Day 16: The Shipman's Tale - Thu, Feb 16Rating: 3 stars (I liked it!)
A merchant is busy making money. He has a wife and a friend. If I stop my story here you know already what will happen. Yes, sir. The wife and the friend will have an affair or at least one sexual encounter.
However, now the twists: the friend is a monk and he fools both the merchant for getting 100 francs from him and giving it to the wife who has to sleep with him for the money of her husband. Crazy plot but the storytelling is beautifully simple (and short) and it has the same nice flavor of being old yet interesting prose of Chaucer.
Moral: Be careful with choosing your friends. You might end up losing money and spouse. :)
Hello Charles!Thank you for breaking my solitude. Har har. I was already feeling like the Little Prince wondering where the people were. Until I saw you, the rose, who told me that people have not roots so they were blown away by the wind. Ayan, may promo pa ako ng F2F 2 in case my lurkers har har.
Sure, sure. This is one of the best books I've read this year so far!!!
Day 17: The Prioress's Tale - Friday, Feb 17th
Rating: 4 stars! (I really liked it!)
Why? Very short. Straightforward. Very spiritual. A story told by a pious woman about a young child who loves to sing religious songs. The Jews (OMG, this was anti-semitic but maybe that was allowed before?) get angry so they slice the neck of the young angelic boy and bury him. The mother comes looking for him and through the intercession of the Holy Virgin, she finds the boy. All comes into loose, the people punish the Jews. In the burial, the sweet boy raises up and begins singing his religious song and continues praising the Good Lord.
Sweetly told. Heartfelt. One of the best.
Charles: Yes it is okay.I read the next chapter and part of the chapter after that but I was too tired (because of Virlanie and the puyat last Saturday) that I did not do any substantial reading. I'll catch up in the next few days.
Very detailed analysis, Charles. You are such a wonderful intelligent young man. I hope you know that by now. I am so honored to have met you and keep you as my friend. Not only here in Goodreads but also in real life! :)For me, the prologue is Chaucer's way to introduce his many varied characters. It is like the tray where the cake is placed. The stories that follow are the ingredients of the cake. They make up the bulk of the book and that's what people buy and eat. However, the cake will collapse if you don't put it on a tray.
Oh well, I now finished two chapters and it is time to continue my daily routine:
Day 18: Sir Thopas - Sat, Feb 18th
Rating: 1 star (I did not like it)
The day we went to Virlanie. I finished this in the morning but I did not like it. It is almost empty. It is about a warrior and his heroic acts and deeds. It is in the form of a poem which is sung by the storyteller. Maybe if you put the melody, it would have been great.
Day 19: The Monk's Tale - Sun, Feb 19th
Rating: 2 stars (It's okay!)
I was soo tired after Virlanie. We left the karaoke at 11:00 p.m. Then we stood in front of Baang Coffee for more than 30 mins since they were still undecided where to go next since Rollie's boarding house was already closed. I was waiting for my daughter to text me telling that I could pick her up from the debut party she was attending. Past 12 na nag-text so I picked her up and when home together at around 12:30 a.m. Maghapon akong natulog pero masama pa rin ang pakiramdam ko. I have this cold inside my throat and it is now becoming sore.
Anyways, the story of the monk is about different Roman emperors and Biblical OT characters. I am not very well versed on those characters but I read something about them and I thought that what I knew was not captured. Like Julius Caesar is known for his Ides of March and Alexander would be known for his battle prowess. Chaucer seemed to have focus on fictions about these characters or maybe I did not know them?
I was not able to continue. I am busy reading "Walong Diwata ng Pagkahulog" last night. I thought I would finish it. Hindi pa rin pala.
Day 20: The Nun's Priest Tale - Mon, Feb 20thRating: 2 stars (It's okay)
"Do not be careless, or impetuous. Do not trust flatterers." says the nun's priest who tells this fable about birds and bees har har.
This is true. Even Francisco Balagtas says it in Florante at Laura: "Kung sasalubungin ka ng masayang bati't may pakitang giliw, pakaasahan mong s'ya'y kaaway na lihim."
I read this while nursing a heavy cold. I got cold from the fatigue and heat during the Virlanie Outreach program last Saturday. It was a success but I think I am too old to be out the whole day until midnight. My body just gave in. I will take a full-day leave from work tomorrow to just get rest. Another TFG event is scheduled on Saturday, Feb 25 for the F2F discussion of Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince.
Day 21: The Second Nun's Tale - Tue, Feb 21st
Rating: 4 stars! (I really liked this!)
The life of Saint Cecilia who died for her belief in God. I remember this picture hanged on our sala when I was a child. Saint Cecilia, the Patron Saint of Music. So, I thought that this story will be about music but none of those. But still, the story is interesting. Her steadfast belief in God is not something that she could compromise even if it meant death. The death scene is gruesome. Her neck was mangled and yet she asked God to give her 3 days so she could preach.
3 last tales!!! I hope to finish this tomorrow and write my review and get over this book....
I don't know. I have the same question. When I am about to start reading a tale, I go back to the Prologue and read again about the storyteller. I did not see any nun's priest there. Also, my impression is that the nun's priest is a she har har.Wife of Bath --> this is another one who I can't figure out what is it's equivalent profession in present times har har. Owner of sauna bath?
I agree, Charles. However, there are also strong female characters here. Not only Saint Cecilia but the other recent tale: Cresilda or something. But generally, I agree with you.The Wife of Bath's Tale is said to have elicited debates in the past regarding the tip of the storyteller on how to make marriages work: women should dominate men.
So, generally, even if the women are seem to be relegated to secondary roles in society during Chaucer's time, there were still some exceptions. In the Miller's Tale the woman lover asked the suitor to kiss her asshole in the dark. The lover even tongue-kissed the asshole ewww.
Day 22: The Canon's Yeoman's Tale - Wed, Feb 22ndRating: 2 stars (it's okay)
I read this while inside the KFC last Friday morning. I went to the post office to pick a book sent by a Goodreads friend in Australia. Too bad, the Yeoman was not allowed to tell his tale in its entirety. He sounded like a sincere and sad person and so his story could have been poignant or dark. I dunno.
Day 23 - The Manciple Tale - Thu, Feb 23rd
Rating: 4 stars (I really liked it!)
Be careful when you see a cheating spouse. Don't tell your friend who is the one being cheated on. In the story, the wife is cheating her husband. The bird tells the husband so he kills the wife and the lover than he kills the bird too for ending his happiness.
Day 24: Parson's Prologue - Thu, Feb 24th
Rating: 2 stars (It's okay)
Bitin. Walang winner ng free lunch. Oh God. I read in the Wikipedia that the novel is unfinished and Chaucer created several manuscripts and he would not know which one to used. No manuscript has declared the winner. I carefully read pa naman the different tales tapos wala palang winner. My favorite is the Wife of Bath's Tale followed by The Knight's Tale. Pero wala harhar.
Day 25: Chaucer's Retraction - Fri, Feb 25th
He asked forgiveness for the books that he wrote including the stories in The Canterbury Tales that readers find vulgar or offensive harhar. This reminded me of Anne Rice's denial that she wrote the Beauty trilogy. Hay, these writers!
Overall: The book is still worth reading!
Thanks to Nancy for the encouragement to read this book.
Thanks to Charles for keeping me company harhar.
THE END. I'M DONE. I'M OUT.
Tama. Basta tapos na ako. I followed the reading schedule. Nagkataon busy si buddy Nancy harhar.
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Book Description:
The procession that crosses Chaucer's pages is as full of life and as richly textured as a medieval tapestry. The Knight, the Miller, the Friar, the Squire, the Prioress, the Wife of Bath, and others who make up the cast of characters -- including Chaucer himself -- are real people, with human emotions and weaknesses. When it is remembered that Chaucer wrote in English at a time when Latin was the standard literary language across western Europe, the magnitude of his achievement is even more remarkable. But Chaucer's genius needs no historical introduction; it bursts forth from every page of The Canterbury Tales. (from Goodreads)
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