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

Superb Narration of a Classic

I have heard several recordings of the Canterbury Tales over the years, and this is by far the best. The multi-cast format is really best; Chaucer gave each character a distinctive voice, so it is apropos that each story be read by a different narrator. Each actor captures the persona of their character, from pious nuns to noble knights to course workmen. Even the Parson's lengthy sermon was enjoyable to listen to. This is definitely a must-have for both fans of Chaucer and of good audiobooks.

More Wonderful Than I Remembered

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

Yes. I enjoyed the performances by the narrators, the wonderful stories, and the amazing rhyming ability of the author. They make this a memorable event.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Canterbury Tales?

I loved and enjoyed each and every one of the stories.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators actually bring these stories to life with their wonderful voices and reading abilities.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Tales you will never forget.

classic

Classic story. Not much more to say. The performances were to notch. If you want a good review if there Canterbury Tales, this is an option.

Interesting

Always meant to read this - the translation is understandable but still gives you a sense of the language of the time. Skip some of the more boring tales (Melibee and the Parsons tale) and it's a very entertaining listen.

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.

Chaucer at his saucy poetic best in modern English

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

Rhythm, cadence, a varied cast of likable actors and good voice modulation are all quite essential to any recording of the immortal, if irreverent Canterbury Tales. That's all here.

What did you like best about this story?

The readings and the modern English translation complete with dated flourishes.

Which scene was your favorite?

The Pardoner and the Wife of Bath, naturally.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not possible due to length.

Any additional comments?

Buy this one. Don't waste money on unintelligible original English versions, unless you're a linguistic scholar of ancient English or a PhD'd Chaucer specialist.

Great all around!

I thought the people reading these stories were fantastic! They were clear, emotive, and clearly had a strong grasp of what they were reading. Sometimes I had trouble navigating through the tales to find the one that I wanted, but that's just a minor inconvenience.

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.