Chaucer in prose is entirely adequate to the purpose

The Canterbury Tales: A Retelling by Peter Ackroyd
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked reading this version of the Canterbury tales. I was looking for a prose translation, not just modern English, and this fit the bill. It is, of course, instantly comprehensible for a modern reader, and untangles some knots for me that I had left over from other versions, so I'm grateful the adapter went to the trouble.

I can't say it made me like the Canterbury Tales, which I thought it might. I had hoped that the language would sound more natural, maybe kinda funny, even, but it still sounds like rephrased poetry, coming at you in short, staccato sentences that retain too many of Chaucer's tics. (The phrases "What else is there to say?" and "There is nothing more to say" are used so often it becomes annoying.) I would have preferred if the author had taken more liberties with the text, maybe smooth it out, maybe give it more style. He did, at least, leave it pleasantly crude. F-bombs galore.

For readers who want to read Chaucer's stories without fighting the language or scowling through contrived modern rhyme, this is a nice choice, my disappointments notwithstanding. It's accessible and clear and non-sanitized, and Chaucer's dialogue and stories still offers nice insights into the lives of people in that time.

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