TEXTS
Required
The only required text is Larry Benson, et al., eds.,
The Riverside Chaucer (1988), new edition, paperback. I went to
great lengths to have it ordered for this class through its sole distributor,
amazon.uk; once you've seen how heavy and expensive the clothbound version
is, you'll start thanking me at once.
Recommended
You'll definitely need to learn to read Middle
English--the exams etc. will require it--but there's nothing wrong with
using a translation as a "pony." Chaucer did it all the time.
The best Modern English translation of Troilus is Barry Windeatt's
inexpensive paperback (Oxford University Press, 1998). It can be had through
amazon.com, and probably at any decent big-city bookstore; the Student
Book Corporation here is more a boutique than anything else, and need not
apply.
WEB BIBLIOGRAPHIES
A colossal endeavor by Prof. Mark Allen of UTSA; this is one of the
most useful tools available for the study of Chaucer, a searchable, annotated
bibliography of every book and article written about Chaucer for the last
several years. It will eventually go back about 25 years. The annotations
are excellent and will give you a good idea whether or not you need to
look at the work.
This bibliography is now available on a website, "fully searchable and web-friendly" indeed.
"Annotated and Indexed Bibliography of the first 30 years of The
Chaucer Review. From "Abraham" to "Zitter," scholars
have published nearly 800 articles in the first 30 volumes of the premier
Chaucer journal, and they are all listed and summarized here. The subject
index is searchable using the Find function of your browser, and you can
use the article numbers there to find the essays you want in the bibliography.
For example, if you go to the index and search for "anti-Semitism,"
you will find eight entries, numbered 19, 139, 268, 279, 324, 377, 747,
798. In the bibliography, search for 268, and you will find Frank, Hardy
Long. "Seeing the Prioress Whole." 25 (1991): 229-37 with a summary
of his argument. The bibliography is a large file and takes a while to
load, but it is a great resource." (thanks to Alan Baragona for this
description).
This is something I have just become aware of: a collection of electronic
reviews of books that can be both browsed and searched, covering all subject
in the realm of medieval studies. Very useful.
The site describes itself in this fashion: "The Essential Chaucer
is a selective, annotated bibliography of Chaucer studies from 1900-1984.
It was first published in 1987 by G. K. Hall and Mansell Publishers Limited.
The bibliography is divided into almost 90 topics, including themes, techniques,
and individual works by Chaucer."
LINKS / BACK TO
Chaucer Scriptorium (my main Chaucer site; including links to other
pages dealing with medieval lit., etc.)
The Chaucer MetaPage : the central clearinghouse for anything
Chaucerian.
Hanly's Home
Page (includes links to other course websites)