The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling | Peter Ackroyd

so-so

Here's a lively cast of characters with a host of boisterous tales to tell! One day I'll re-read the original: Chaucer is a pick. Peter Ackroyd's retelling is a so-so. Why? In a word, misogyny: whether of the casual or deliberate kind, there's no let up. The characters, Chaucer and Ackroyd all fall back on "no offence meant: just repeating what I heard". While it may be accepted as par for the course in Middle English verse, in Modern English ?

quietlycuriouskate prose the effect is quite different. The male characters reveal themselves by their words and behaviour as blatherskites and blusterers (Chaucer has a laugh at everyone's expense, his own included) but the constant harping on the failings of women in a modern voice is at first irritating and then cumulatively demoralising. That's not my idea of entertainment. 6y

saresmoore Excellent & insightful review! You make me want to give Chaucer‘s original a reread. 6y

GingerAntics I found that In Chaucer's version, personally. I'm not sure it will be much better than what you read. I couldn't do it. I only read part of it. 6y

See All 8 Comments

Cathythoughts Great post .... memories of school days ā¯¤ļø¸ā¯¤ļø¸ā¯¤ļø¸ 6y

DivineDiana I recently saw a fashion exhibit at The Cloisters in NY. Rick Owens, one of the designers in the collection, used Canterbury Tales as his inspiration! Very risqué and bawdy men‘s designs! ? 6y

Emilymdxn I really disliked ackroyds version but love the original. My degree was mainly on Chaucer and I love him a lot, I think the women in Troilus and the Legend of Good Women were very well done so I find his women in general better than other writers from that long ago. Canterbury tales are far from my favourite thing by him but his Criseyde is one of my fave women in all of literature 6y

quietlycuriouskate @Emilymdxn Oh, that's interesting! I remember really enjoying Chaucer but it was a long time ago so wondered if it's just that my tastes have changed but, judging by your comment, probably not. I'd love to read the original again at some point and it sounds like I need to check out Troilus, too. 6y

Emilymdxn Often the editors want to make it more misogynistic than the language originally was - not defending Canterbury tales in general as I don‘t know them that well, but definitely with Troilus. It‘s hard to know what to think about descriptions of women in literature that old but Criseyde makes me positive towards Chaucer overall! I recommend it a lot 6y

54 likes8 comments

quietlycuriouskate

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling | Peter Ackroyd

Someone get that man some drawing lessons at once: he badly needs to learn perspective! As for plunging him into such distress, all the woman has done is exist; he's not even seen her, for crying out loud, just heard tell of her from some merchants. š£

37 likes

quietlycuriouskate

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling | Peter Ackroyd

It's been a stressful morning. Let's just say that "endometrial biopsy" is not my favourite phrase and I can't face my crochet hooks right now ?. Also, the seven-month wait for the appointment meant I'd built up quite the store of anticipatory anxiety.

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to hide out in the fourteenth century for a bit.

Lel2403 Ohh I feel for you...hope you‘re ok...and crochet keeps me sane ! (edited) 6y

CoffeeCatsBooks Pretty paperweight š’• Hope all goes well. (edited) 6y

batsy Hope it all goes well š’ 6y

See All 11 Comments

AlaMich I‘ve had a couple of those (endo biopsies). They are not fun but they are over pretty quickly. 6y

quietlycuriouskate @Lel2403 @CoffeeCatsBooks @batsy @AlaMich Thank you, all š It was painful but mercifully quick. Now I just need to avoid reciting potential horror stories to myself these weeks while I'm waiting for the results. 6y

CouronneDhiver š™¸š¸½š™¸š¸½š™¸š¸½ Please do your very best to avoid Dr Google. I promise, he brings nothing but destruction disguised as ā€informationā€¯. I did myself a grand disservice with that mistake earlier this year. 6y

rabbitprincess I'm sorry you had to have a biopsy but relieved that it was done quickly! Hope your time travel through reading is enjoyable ā™�ļø¸ā™�ļø¸ 6y

quietlycuriouskate @CouronneDhiver Wise advice! Sorry you experienced that. I learnt that lesson from a previous encounter with Google: it highlights the most attention-grabbing scenarios without weighting them for likelihood. Left to its own devices, my anxiety does much the same. I don't need Google "validating" my horrible imaginings! Hope all is well with you. 6y

quietlycuriouskate @rabbitprincess Thank you! š 6y

CouronneDhiver I‘ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. When do you expect to hear back? 6y

quietlycuriouskate @CouronneDhiver Thank you! I should hear back within six weeks. 6y

50 likes11 comments

quietlycuriouskate

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling | Peter Ackroyd

Yesterday's #bookhaul
Neither of these was on my TBR.... but Daughter and I spent over an hour in Waterstones.

Yesterday evening I had an awful migraine. I've only been up since late afternoon. No reading for me today.

BarbaraBB How nice to do that with your daughter! Hope your migraine is gone š 6y

erzascarletbookgasm Boo! to migraine! Hope you‘re feeling better. Nice haul! 6y

Cathythoughts Dylan Thomas š’«š’«š’« feel better š’™š“ 6y

50 likes3 comments