Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Chaucer for Children

Mrs. H.R. Haweis - Chaucer for Children (1882)

Open Library direct link
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I'll admit I came to mock but this turns out to be not only a solid effort for what is attempted but a glimpse at different educational standards.  For one thing it has the Middle English text (slightly simplified and with a trot alongside but ME nonetheless) when today even our undergraduates aren't always given that.  (In fact at least two modern editions euphemistically say they're "original spelling".)  And Chaucer's other work gets shorted unlike here where there are samples.  Plus there's a pretty decent introduction though all in all it's still a children's textbook.