Publisher's description:
David Wright's acclaimed translation, now partnered with a new critical introduction and invaluable notes by Chaucer scholar Christopher Cannon to make it the best edition for student and general reader alike.
David Wright's verse translation is widely admired for its brilliance and fidelity. This new edition adds representative passages from the important but often overlooked prose tales, Melibee and the Parson's Tale, in new translations by Christopher Cannon.
The new introduction surveys Chaucer's life in its cultural and historical contexts and considers the structure, achievements, and key themes of The Canterbury Tales.
Expanded explanatory notes orient the Tales in medieval history and culture and identify their varied generic origins.
New to this edition:
Introduction by Christopher Cannon.
Up-to-date bibliography.
Abridged translation of The Tale of Melibee.
Abridged translation of The Parson's Tale.
Comprehensive notes by Christopher Cannon.
'Whoever best acquits himself, and tells
The most amusing and instructive tale,
Shall have a dinner, paid for by us all...'
In Chaucer's most ambitious poem, The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387), a group of pilgrims assembles in an inn just outside London and agree to entertain each other on the way to Canterbury by telling stories. The pilgrims come from all ranks of society, from the crusading Knight and burly Miller to the worldly Monk and lusty Wife of Bath. Their tales are as various as the tellers, including romance, bawdy comedy, beast fable, learned debate, parable, and Eastern adventure. The resulting collection gives us a set of characters so vivid that they have often been taken as portraits from real life, and a series of stories as hilarious in their comedy as they are affecting in their tragedy. Even after 600 years, their account of the human condition seems both fresh and true.
This new edition of David Wright's acclaimed translation includes a new critical introduction and invaluable notes by a leading Chaucer scholar.

 "David Wright is a fine poet, and he has translated the Tales with crisp brilliance and fidelity into classic verse…On every page he offers at least a few lines that make one smile with pleasure. This version ought to be on every school syllabus. The translation is certainly the best we have ever had." - Peter Levi, Sunday Telegraph
"David Wright's new verse translation of The Canterbury Tales is done with great skill, literary tact, and polish….it is caring and resourceful. It both stands up well in its own right, and is likely to send the reader back to Chaucer." - British Book News