I enjoyed my time with this Penguin translation of Chaucer well enough. That is probably the most meaningful thing that I can say about this, everything else has been repeated so many times that I don’t know if it’s worth it for me to say anything more, but I’ll risk my time once more to say that some of this book’s stories feel incredibly old fashion, while others feel fresh. That’s really just to say that the stories that focus on antique themes and morals feel old, since we don’t really care so much about these things anymore, while the rowdier and louder stories are still pretty exciting. This dynamic I think also explains why much of Victorian writing feels so crap (I’m looking at you Dracula and Count of Monte Cristo). Compared to the Deccameron, Chaucer seems more varied, but so much of this probably comes down to the translations, which really I can only say that the Chaucer translation in verse was fun and highly serviceable. I can see that these stories serve also as a look into medieval catholic England, but I can also see that a lot of the lessons here are things I already had a pretty good grasp on and get here some kind of first degree account, which does account for something I guess. I can’t disagree with the notion that every English speaking person would probably do well to read at least the choice selections here, but you’d probably also get the idea from watching enough BBC or something.
Also, I think that Chaucer is first and foremost a portrait artist. Much of what he has to say is too obscure to pick out much political or social truths that might give ammunition to academics today. His commentary on religion is interesting and the way he treats he sexes is bold when compared to stuffier writing that came out subsequently, but I can’t help feeling that some of this information is more significant as biographical details. Does the wife of bath say something significant about history beyond what Chauser is saying about human nature? Nothing that we had to go to Chauser for. But of course, Chauser is one of the most important figures in the English language, so every detail does count for something, but, of course, I read a translation.