Author: Seth Lerer Narrator: Seth Lerer Publisher: The Great Courses Unabridged Edition Running Time: 6 Hrs.

Buy from a third party: (The Great Courses) # of Tapes : 6 (The Great Courses) # of Tapes : 3

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The Life and Writings of Geoffrey Chaucer by Seth Lerer

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LOLAlex, February 17, 2006
Reviewer: LOLAlex

Title: A Solid Primer in Chaucer

General Content - In this audio book, Professor Seth Lerer examines both the life of Geoffrey Chaucer as a a political figure, a diplomat, and a remarkably talented poet. Prof. Lerer is obviously very interested in the life and work of one of the most important, if not the most important, poet in the history of the English language. As well as examining his works, this audio book also delves into the ways in which Chaucer managed to keep himself safe in the political upheavals of the time and stay on the King's good side, no matter who might have been the King at the time.

In his examination of Chaucer's works, Prof. Lerer spends most of his time working with The Canterbury Tales. This is, of course, perfectly understandable, as it is the most important work in his poetic career. However, he also goes into a few of his other works, especially Troilus and Criseyde, in order to give a larger view of Chaucer's works and his influences. This not only provides a larger view of his poetic career, but also provides a few more avenues for beginning students to examine the works of this all-important poet.

Personally, I would have liked to see a little more information about Chaucer the person in this lecture series. However, since the records of the time, while extensive, are not entirely filled out, that is probably limited by the sources available. As well, I would have liked more discussion of The Canterbury Tales, since it is such an important work. However, these points do not detract much from the series and, with the limited space of 12 lectures, some cuts had to be made.

Audio Content - I listened to the 6-cassette version of The Life and Writings of Geoffrey Chaucer from The Teaching Company and I found the audio to be excellent. Prof. Lerer is a very good speaker, allowing him to be very easy to listen to. As well, his explanations on how to pronounce Chaucer's Middle English words are very good and very clear. In fact, he allows even Middle English to be very clear when he reads it, allowing you to understand what Chaucer is saying in his own language.

Overall, this is an excellent series of lectures. I would have liked two or four more lectures, but I think the brevity of the series is a recommendation all its own. It is a very good audio book for those who want to learn more about a great poet who essentially shaped the direction of the English language.

This Author: Seth Lerer This Narrator: Seth Lerer This Publisher: The Great Courses

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