The Canterbury Tales [Blackstone]

By: Geoffrey Chaucer

Narrated by: Martin Jarvis, Jay Carnes, Ray Porter, John Lee, Malcolm Hillgartner, Ralph Cosham, Simon Vance

Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

At the Tabard Inn, 30 travelers of widely varying classes and occupations are gathering to make the annual pilgrimage to Becket's shrine at Canterbury. It is agreed that each traveler will tell four tales to help pass the time and that the host of the inn will judge the tales and reward the best storyteller with a free supper upon their return.

Thus we hear, translated into modern English, 20-some tales, told in the voices of knight and merchant, wife and miller, squire and nun, and many more. Some are bawdy, some spiritual, some romantic, some mysterious, some chivalrous. Between the stories, the travelers converse, joke, and argue, revealing much about their individual outlooks on life, as well as what life was like in late 14th-century England.

©2003 Gavin Menzies (P)2008 Blackstone Audio

Best way to "read" Chaucer!

If you could sum up The Canterbury Tales in three words, what would they be?

Moral, Eternal, Bawdy

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Realizing that the common theme was that you eventually get what you deserve.

Any additional comments?

Having these classic tales told by the excellent narrators gave them life and made them understandable and enjoyable. It really beat reading them in school!

An Intriguing Classic with Rich Characters

Would you listen to The Canterbury Tales again? Why?

I'm sure that there were things that I missed - but, despite the lively, updated language and frequently entertaining characters, quite a lot of medieval attitudes came through and I probably will not listen again. I'm glad that I listened to it once, though, to know what it was about and get a feeling for the time. I was intrigued by the degree to which the seeds of the Renaissance were present in the extensive quotations from the classics - I had not realized that was already occurring at the time in England. But so many of the characters went ON and ON quoting the classics that I suspect that I will not feel the urge to return to it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The Franklin, I think. So many of the characters were spiteful or otherwise ungenerous that his Tale was a pleasant relief (if I am remembering correctly).

Which scene was your favorite?

The Franklin's Tale.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Not an extreme reaction - some of it was quite funny, but I don't think I laughed aloud.

Any additional comments?

It was, I'm sure, far easier to listen to than to read and I do feel better informed for having heard such a classic work of literature. The excellent performances made many of the tales very engaging.

good

it was good and entertaining as well as insightful. somewhat difficult to complete,due to it's length however the actors helped keep it interesting.

Many voices, at times enthralling

This new Blackstone recording of "Canterbury Tales" is wonderful and at times enthralling -- and also at times laugh-out-loud funny. Like the Charlton Griffin recording (also available here), it's the whole ball of wax: every tale, including the often-omitted Tale of Melibee and the Parson's Tale (which is really a three-hour sermon rather than a tale. Listen to it. It's good for the digestion, and quite a bit more interesting than it sounds). This translation, by J.U. Nicholson, uses a more old-fashioned vocabulary in places than the Coghill translation used by Griffin; but at the same time, it's also saltier. There are few crude names for parts or functions of the human body that Chaucer fails to use at one point or another, and most of them find their way into this recording. (For me, that's a GOOD thing!) One notable feature is that this is a multi-voice recording. Martin Jarvis is Chaucer, Ralph Cosham the Lawyer, Simon Vance the Squire; and that's only a few examples. Both this version and Griffin's version are five-star recordings in my book. Griffin's has occasional music, which this one lacks; on the other hand, this one has greater variety of tone and voice.

Finally it made sense...

Would you consider the audio edition of The Canterbury Tales to be better than the print version?

Gee. I've struggled in print both in old english and whatever modern translation I had but this translation was alive whereas in the past the language stood in my way. This time the language enhanced the personalities of the story...

Who was your favorite character and why?

I forget her name but she had intensely foul language.. and poetry to boot..

Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was a good group for the various voices.. Women and men telling the tale..

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No not one moment but I realized that I probably am a medieval christian prior to being a Buddhist..

Any additional comments?

Listen and let this solve the mystery of what the whole trip was about...

Great book, terrible to navigate

The performance is great, and the translations are mild enough to read alongside the middle english. But the tales are broken into tiny clips and they are out of order. Some time and bookmarks make it navigable, but it's really a mess.

a mixed bag

Obviously Chaucer wrote some of the most baudy, memorable, and hilarious tales in this work. And things like the Knights tale were dramatic and engaging. There is sound political advice herein. However, the strongly Catholic and Christian sermonizing in many tales, appropriate of the time, can be a tough slog to listen through. However, this unfinished classic is ultimately more than worth the listen.

Required reading on par with Shakespear

Very approachable and entertaining with poetic modern translation. Best I've heard.
Wish tales and chapters labeled together.

A helpful index

I love this audio version of the Tales, but without an index it can be frustrating to locate a particular tale. I'm a teacher, and like to have students listen to excerpts. I didn't complete the times for all of the tales, but hopefully what I provide here will save another teacher a lot of time.
Canterbury Tales Bookmarks on Audible edition

Part I
General Prologue, Part I to 46:20

Knight's Tale, Part I 46:25-- 2:51:52

Miller's Tale, Part I 2:52:03-- 3:30

Reeve's Tale, 3:30-- 3:55

Cook's Tale, 3:55-- 4:06

Lawyer's Tale, 4:06-- 4:57

Sailor's Tale, 4:57-- 5:23

Prioress' Tale, 5:23-- 5:39

Sir Thopas, 5:39-- 5:50

Melibee, 5:50-- 7:49

Part II

Monk, 00-- 48.56

Nun's Priest, 49:00-- 1:25:46
Epilogue 1:25:46 - 1:26.41

Physician, 1:26-- 1:42:13

Words of Host to Physician and Pardoner, 1:42:23-- 1:45

Pardoner, 1:45-- 2:18

Wife of Bath, 2:18-- 3:32:54

Friar 3:32:56 --

Summoner

Clerk

Merchant





Part III

Squire, 00-- 32:21 (unfinished)

Host to Squire and Franklin, 32:22-- 34:15

Franklin, 34:15-- 1:18:33

Second Nun's Tale, 1:18:33

Canon's Yeoman

Manciple

Parson

Here the Maker, 6:19-- 6:21:50

One Glitch

The story of course is among the greatest in literature.
Nikolson’s translation is my favorite.
The performers are so entertaining.
One glitch. The audible version here begins with the Squire’s Take. The beginning of the tales is found in Chapter 66 or 67 of the download. A bit irritating.