# Middle English



## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Old and Middle English sucks. Someone please help me understand it!


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

Does this help at all?


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

He gan pullen up her smock and in he thronge (or something like that). Chaucer.


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Dr Johnson said:


> He gan pullen up her smock and in he thronge (or something like that). Chaucer.


Oh no! Chaucer is my enemy right now! I cant understand any of it!


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

^^

There are "translations" available. 

As there are for Beowulf (which I guess you are wrestling with as you mention Old English).


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Dr Johnson said:


> ^^
> 
> There are "translations" available.
> 
> As there are for Beowulf (which I guess you are wrestling with as you mention Old English).


Interestingly enough, Beowulf and Sir Gawain were easier to understand than Chaucer. His writing is something else and I cant understand a word of it, so naturally, I have no clue what is going on in The Canterbury Tales "The General Prologue" and The Wife of Bath's Tale. Though I know the general gist of what happens in the latter, I cant answer any questions about the piece if I don't understand what it says.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

SarahNorthman said:


> *Interestingly enough, Beowulf and Sir Gawain were easier to understand than Chaucer.* His writing is something else and I cant understand a word of it, so naturally, I have no clue what is going on in The Canterbury Tales "The General Prologue" and The Wife of Bath's Tale. Though I know the general gist of what happens in the latter, I cant answer any questions about the piece if I don't understand what it says.


Blimey!

Surely your edition of Chaucer comes with some sort of glossary, notes etc?


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Dr Johnson said:


> Blimey!
> 
> Surely your edition of Chaucer comes with some sort of glossary, notes etc?


It comes with the footnotes and what not, but it is a bit hard for me to incorporate them into the text when I am having trouble understanding the writing. I tend to get kind of mixed up with it. It's just a difficult author for me. I need to figure it out though as this class is a Survey of Early British Lit class and so I will be dealing with quite a bit of it.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

Here's a link to translations into modern English of The Canterbury Tales.


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Dr Johnson said:


> Here's a link to translations into modern English of The Canterbury Tales.


Oh thank the LORD! You are a lifesaver! This week is Malory, Julian, and Kempe. Wooo.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

A few weeks ago I bought (by mistake) a version of Malory in modern English by Peter Ackroyd


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Oh really? I am assuming you like the opposite.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

SarahNorthman said:


> Oh really? I am assuming you like the opposite.


No!:lol:. I wouldn't want to wade through Malory in the original. I thought that the Ackroyd was a novel like his Hawksmoor or Chatterton (that will teach me not to read the blurb on the back properly). I was in a bookshop having a bit of a buying frenzy and didn't pay enough attention when picking this one off the shelves.


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Dr Johnson said:


> No!:lol:. I wouldn't want to wade through Malory in the original. I thought that the Ackroyd was a novel like his Hawksmoor or Chatterton (that will teach me not to read the blurb on the back properly). I was in a bookshop having a bit of a buying frenzy and didn't pay enough attention when picking this one off the shelves.


Ah yes! An honest mistake really. I think it happens to most more often than not. I know I've had the same problem. Oh how I miss book buying frenzies.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I love hearing Saxon-era English spoken - it sounds far more closer to its Northern European counterparts before the Norman French influence kicked in.


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2015)

Dr Johnson said:


> He gan pullen up her smock and in he thronge (or something like that). Chaucer.


Chaucer be some durtee hoower and then some by mine poker up me fattey arsse.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

dogen said:


> Chaucer be some durtee hoower *and then some by mine poker up me fattey arsse.*


Good of you to share your personal fetishes.

:devil:


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2015)

Dr Johnson said:


> Good of you to share your personal fetishes.
> 
> :devil:


I like to share. I find Will hard if not impossible to follow, yet Chaucers's Canterbury Tales (performed by Northern Broadside) I absolutely loved.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

dogen said:


> I like to share. I find Will hard if not impossible to follow, yet* Chaucers's Canterbury Tales* (performed by Northern Broadside) I absolutely loved.


Chaucer is good fun.

I also liked the modern take on some of the tales a few years ago on TV.


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## Guest (Oct 4, 2015)

Dr Johnson said:


> Chaucer is good fun.
> 
> I also liked the modern take on some of the tales a few years ago on TV.


Oh yes they were a hoot!


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

Ingelou might probably help you.

PS. Beowulf is wonderful (I never had to wade through it in the original language though).


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

SiegendesLicht said:


> Ingelou might probably help you.
> 
> PS. Beowulf is wonderful (I never had to wade through it in the original language though).


I enjoyed Beowulf quite a bit actually. I had no problems understanding it at all. I will have to hit Ingelou up soon.


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

Well I do say! The more that I really learn about the pilgrims in Chaucer's General Prologue of the Canterbury Tales the more shocked I am! These characters are truly repulsive! Especially the Nun and Monk, I suppose it is because they are supposed to live to certain standards and these two sure do not. I am enjoying Chaucer now that I am understanding him a bit more. I do have a ways to go that's for sure! Wish me luck as I do have an exam for Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, General Prologue, Wife of Bath's Tale, Julian of Norwich, Margery Kempe, and Morte Darthur. 

I do have to ask, about the monk in The General Prologue, I know religion ties very deeply into a lot of the stories of this time as the church did have a great deal of influence in everyday life. But, I noticed that the monk is very concerned with making a profit of absolving people of their sins. Ex: saying for example, if you donate so much money to the church I will know you are repentant of your sins and will absolve you of them. My question is, does this coincide with the church's problem at the time of buying off people's sins if it were. I do know, historically that this was, and maybe is still an issue. I really wouldn't know. 
I only ask because my teacher wants us to know the relevance of writings at the time. If this was the case then it would make sense to add it to the story I suppose.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

^^^^^ Well, they *are* repulsive!

I've sent you a pm about Chaucer, though it's thirty years now since I last taught him as an A-level text. Still, I hope I can help in some way - at least we can discuss it.

Best wishes, Mollie x


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## SarahNorthman (Nov 19, 2014)

We are now moving onto More's Utopia, and though I have yet to read it just from the introduction to the story and More himself I feel that George Orwell took much inspiration for 1984 from Utopia.


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