Troilus and Criseyde

by Geoffrey Chaucer, Barry Windeatt

Overview

Chaucer's masterpiece and one of the greatest narrative poems in English, the story of the lovers Troilus and Criseyde is renowned for its deep humanity and penetrating psychological insight. This is a modern English prose translation intended as an accurate guide to the Middle English original, and a readable translation in its own right. This edition includes an introduction by a major Chaucerean scholar, an index of the names associated with the Trojan War, and an illuminating index of Proverbs.

About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199555079
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Series:	Oxford World's Classics Series
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

James M. Dean is Professor of English at the University of Delaware.

Harriet Spiegel is Professor Emerita of English at California State University, Chico.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Geoffrey Chaucer: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text

Troilus and Criseyde

• Book I
  Book II
  Book III
  Book IV
  Book V

Glossarial Index of Characters in Troilus and Criseyde
Glossary

Appendix A: The Story of Troilus and Criseyde

1. From Benoît de Sainte-Maure, Le Roman de Troie (1160)
2. From Giovanni Boccaccio, Il Filostrato (1335–40)
3. Robert Henryson, The Testament of Cresseid (1532)

Appendix B: Other Influential Literature

1. From Ovid, Metamorphoses (7 CE)
2. From Ovid, Ars Amatoria (3 BCE)
3. From Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy (524 CE)
4. From Andreas Capellanus, On Love (1185–90)
5. From Jean de Meun, The Romance of the Rose (c. 1275)
6. Francis Petrarch, Sonnet 132 (c. 1370)

Appendix C: Medieval Science

1. From Constantine the African, Viaticum (c. 1060)
2. From Gerard of Berry, Glosses on the Viaticum (late 12th century CE)
3. From Bona Fortuna, Treatise on the Viaticum (early 14th century CE)
4. From Macrobius, On Dreams (c. 400)
5. The Ptolemaic Universe (c. 1539)

Select Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Apparently a reprint of a 1989 edition of the poem for beginning Chaucer readers, based on A. C. Baugh's 1963 . Shoaf includes many marginal glosses, extensive annotations, a brief glossary of frequently occurring difficult words, and an introduction that sets the literary and historical context. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

James Dean and Harriet Spiegel have produced an elegant edition of Chaucer’s masterpiece that will stand next to the Broadview Canterbury Tales as the most widely adapted classroom edition. It wears its considerable learning lightly and lets Chaucer’s poetry speak for itself, while still providing helpful notes and glosses to guide the reader. Spiegel is widely known as a translator of medieval literature and Dean is one of the most respected scholars and editors of his generation. Together they make a great team, and it shows on every page and every line of this edition. It will be on my syllabus, and I recommend it to everyone who teaches the Troilus.” — John Ganim, University of California at Riverside

“Everything a reader of Troilus would want: generous glossing; a lucid review of critical history; excerpts from Boccaccio and Benoît de Sainte-Maure; and a full text and translation, prepared specifically for this edition, of Henryson’s Testament. And much more.” — Sarah Stanbury, College of the Holy Cross

“Our students deserve to encounter the Troilus more often than they do, and this impressive edition will make such encounters possible. Its price (digital and print) takes into account the exigencies of student budgets. Thoughtfully accommodating all the dimensions of accessibility, the editors and press have given us a clear, up-to-date edition whose single-text editorial approach will make it useful not only in courses in medieval literature, but also those in textual studies or editorial theory. Everyone who teaches Chaucer should acquire this edition.” — Karla Taylor, Arthuriana

“The Broadview Troilus is an excellent edition for undergraduate students, helpful in its glossing and rich in its commentary.” — John C. Hirsh, Georgetown University

From the Publisher