The Canterbury Tales (The Penguin Classics)

The fact that this edition has the original and modern English makes the reading so enjoyable.You are able to appreciate the different characters with their flaws and strengths.They are not unlike the people of today.I find it much more enjoyable to read than when I had to study it many years ago.

I’m a highschool English teacher and I purchased this book for my students. It’s one of my favorite books when I was in highschool and wanted the student to be able to experience the book. If you haven’t read Canterbury Tales it’s a must read and keep in your collection.

I have purchased several of these well-constructed little Penguin editions. For Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES I was expecting, perhaps, a bilingual version on opposing pages or an interlinear transliteration of the Middle English original, but these were not to be. Instead, this version contains a very readable "modern English" verse rendition by Nevill Coghill, the first printing of which occurred in 1951. It is certainly not the language of Chaucer, but Coghill does an admiral job of maintaining the humor and spirit of the tales. He is an able rhymer and reminds that there is merit (and considerable effort, apparently) in compiling a version that is accessible enough to unfamiliar readers to be easily followed and understood, but still lyrical enough to signal that they are experiencing something special in the history of English Letters -- the unique underlying forms and style that make Chaucer "the father of English poetry." For readers who wish to graduate to the actual Middle English text, that version is available in a relatively inexpensive Penguin Classics paperback edition that the publisher identifies as the original [Middle English] language of Chaucer. Readers are advised to choose carefully when ordering, lest they receive an inappropriate version for their needs!

Great translation of a classic. I love the covers and quality of these books. I will keep buying them consistently

This review is for Kindle version of the Penguin Classics edition of the Canterbury Tales, edited by Neville Coghill. This version is in modern English.The Canterbury Tales follow a group of pilgrims on their way to Canterbury, a cathedral town in England. Having all coincidentally stayed in the same inn, the group decides to go Canterbury together. The inn's owner, the Host, decides to make the journey more interesting by asking everyone in the party to tell a story: whoever tells the best story, in his opinion, will win a free dinner. The author, Geoffrey Chaucer, is a member of the party and serves as the narrator, and even tells a couple stories himself.Thus follows a series of poems. The topics vary wildly, and include faith, romance, gender equality, and wealth. Western culture has changed a lot since the Tales were written--but in some ways, we haven't changed at all. There is also occasional vulgar and perverted humor (my favorite--and not something I was expecting from medieval poetry).Just as the Tales vary wildly in topic, so too do they vary in quality. Some are quick, enjoyable, absorbing reads, while others are snooze fests that are a chore to get through. This is the main reason I have given the Tales four stars.The Tales are incomplete. Some of the poems were left unfinished with no in-story explanation, while others are interrupted by other characters. The metanarrative is never resolved (ie, the Host never picks the winner). The Penguin Classics edition also cuts the two prose tales, The Tale of Melibee and the Parson's Tale, and replaces them with summaries.

The modern library publication is great! It exceeded expectations!

Have never read this whole book. Started it in high school once but now can't to read it as a retired man.

I don’t care for the book