The Criyng and the Soun: Chaucer Audio Files

The Chaucer Metapage Audio Files

These are links to web pages with excerpts from Chaucer’s works read by professors. The main purpose of these recordings is to help students improve their pronunciation of Chaucer’s Middle English. The emphasis is on accuracy of pronunciation, according to the most current scholarly thinking, though you will notice some individual variation among the readers. For an introduction to Chaucer’s phonetics, grammar and vocabulary on the Harvard Chaucer site, including sound files of individual words for illustration, click here.

Compact Disks and downloads at half price of complete texts of individual works by Chaucer can be purchased from The Chaucer Studio Web Site. An excellent book, including a cassette tape, on how vocal performance can affect the interpretation of Chaucer’s characters is Betsy Bowden’s Chaucer Aloud: The Varieties of Textual Interpretation (Philadelphia: U. of PA Press, 1987). Though this book is now out of print, Betsy Bowden’s own full reading of the book with the added recordings by various scholars  that were formerly on a separate audiocassette are included in this sound download. An e-book version of Bowden’s book is being prepared also by the Chaucer Studio Press. See also Alan Gaylord’s article “Reading Chaucer: What’s Allowed in ‘Aloud’,” Chaucer Yearbook, I (1992): 87-109.

 

These sound files are in MP3 format (or WAV format or both). The text in the edition being used by the reader accompanies the sound file on each web page. When the audio begins, users can scroll down to follow along as they listen.

 
 From The Canterbury Tales

• The General Prologue, ll. 1-34 read by Alan Baragona
• The General Prologue, ll. 1-18 read by Jess B. Bessinger, from the old Caedmon Recording
• The General Prologue, ll. 1-18 read by Tom Hanks of Baylor University
• The General Prologue, ll. 1-18 read by Larry D. Benson of Harvard University (WAV format)
• The General Prologue, ll. 1-14 read by Jane Zatta of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville
• The General Prologue, The Knight’s Portrait read by Alan Baragona
• The General Prologue, The Prioress’s Portrait read by Alan Baragona
• The General Prologue, The Wife of Bath’s Portrait read by Tom Farrell of Stetson University
• The General Prologue, The Miller’s Portrait read by Alfred David of Indiana University
• The Knight’s Tale, The Tournament read by Tom Farrell of Stetson University
• The Miller’s Prologue, complete read by Alan Baragona
• The Miller’s Tale, Nicholas Seduces Alisoun read by Alfred David of Indiana University
• The Wife of Bath’s Prologue, ll. 1-22 read by Marie Borroff of Yale University
• The Wife of Bath’s Tale, The Wedding Night read by Alan Baragona
• The Envoy to The Clerk’s Tale, complete read by Alan Baragona
• The Pardoner’s Tale, the Rioters Meet the Old Man read by Alfred David of Indiana University
• The Opening of The Nun’s Priest’s Tale read by Alison Baker of California State Polytechnic University.
• The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, Chauntecleer Describes Pertelote’s Beauty read by Alfred David of Indiana University
• The Nun’s Priest’s Tale, the Ending read by Alan Baragona

From Troilus and Criseyde

• Criseyde’s Misgivings, from Troilus and Criseyde, Book II, ll. 449-504 read by Susan Yager of Iowa State University
• From the Closing of Troilus and Criseyde, Book V, ll. 1828-1841 read by Tom Farrell of Stetson University

From the Dream Visions

• The Book of the Duchess, the opening read by Susan Yager of Iowa State University.
• The House of Fame, the Eagle’s Summation, ll. 848-869 read by Tom Farrell of Stetson University

From The Legend of Good Women and the Short Poems

• The Legend of Good Women, Prologue, Text F, ll. 1-39 read by Alison Baker of California State Polytechnic University.
• “To Adam Scryven” read by Tom Farrell of Stetson University
• “Truth” read by Susan Yager of Iowa State University
• “The Former Age” read by Susan Yager of Iowa State University
• “Lak of Stedfastnesse” read by Alan Baragona
• “Gentilesse” read by Alan Baragona
• “To Rosemounde” read by Alan Baragona

Advertisement