Using this Website

Choosing the correct site:

Important: This site works best with Internet Explorer as browser.

Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome work reasonably well. They show the pop-up translations but don't always place them immediately above the word they translate. The farther you scroll down the page, the farther up the screen they pop up from the word they translate. Other browsers may have more serious problems. You'll know if you're using the wrong browser if you go to the text of the General Prologue and the translations and explanatory notes don't work properly.

Again, if you have Internet Explorer on your computer, use it for this site.

 

Reading the text of the General Prologue:

Glosses

Glosses, or pop-up translations, are available for difficult Middle English words and phrases in the General Prologue. Activate a gloss by placing the cursor, or pointer, on the word or phrase. The text of glossed words is black while that of unglossed words is dark brown.

Note: If you're using Internet Explorer, the translations should appear just above the word or phrase they translate. If they don't, the problem may be that you have changed the font and/or font size settings for your browser. You can correct this by resetting them to the default settings, i.e. Times Roman font and 12 point font size.

Explanatory notes - o

Brief, explanatory notes that help clarify the meaning of the text are activated by placing the cursor, or pointer, on the o's, or small circles, in the right-hand margin of the text. There are two varieties of notes: those with links to other sites and those without. Don't be confused by the links in these text boxes not being underlined. If the text says for example, "See x" (e.g. See Zatta or See Benson), then whatever follows the word 'See' will be a link, as you can tell by your pointer's change to a hand with a pointing finger when you put it on the active text.

Note: The explanatory notes without links disappear when you move the pointer off the o. The ones with links remain visible so that, if you desire, you can click on the link. Close these open text boxes by putting your pointer on the o and clicking.

The sound icon  -  

Clicking the sound icon   in the right margin of the text activates a RealPlayer reading of several lines beginning at that line. These include readings by me, Alan Baragona, Tom Farrell, and Alfred David. For more information, click on Sounds in the left framebar (the burgundy-colored column to the left of this screen).

Notes - notes

Clicking on the word notes in the right margin of the text redirects you to a page of more detailed line-by-line notes reproduced verbatim from Alfred W. Pollard, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: The Prologue, London: Macmillan, 1903. The book is in the public domain and available for viewing and download from Google Books. Although the book is old, the notes are generally enlightening and accurate. Nevertheless, users doing detailed research on aspects of the General Prologue should, if possible, always consult more recent notes in print publications such as The Riverside Chaucer, ed. Larry D. Benson, 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

Navigating the text  

The right-hand pop-up menu on the Home page allows you to jump directly to the first line of any pilgrim's description in the Middle English text.

 

Using the left framebar:

There are seven links in the left framebar (the burgundy-colored column to the left of this screen):

Home returns you to the site's title page, where one menu provides access to information about this site and its use, and the other takes you to specific locations within the Middle English version of the General Prologue.

Text takes you to the opening of the Middle English version of the General Prologue, complete with glosses and explanatory notes.

Language provides information for dealing with Chaucer's English and directs you to links to other language-related sites.

Background directs you to links to other sites with information about the literary and historical background of the General Prologue as well as suggestions about their use. This page also lists three recommended sites for further web study and exploration: the Chaucer MetaPage, the Harvard Geoffrey Chaucer site, and the Chaucer Pedagogy Page. It also links to the Chaucer MetaPage's bibliography section, a great resource for those who want to identify books and articles devoted to research topics related to the General Prologue and Chaucer.

Sounds provides links to audio readings of the General Prologue and provides information about the sound links in the text indicated by the sound icon: . These are useful for learning Middle English pronunciation as well as for hearing the rhythms of Chaucer's language and verse. Hearing these readings requires that RealPlayer be installed on the computer you are using. If you don't already have it, you can download the free version of RealPlayer 8 by clicking here.

Images has links to several images related to Geoffrey Chaucer and the General Prologue. Three are of early portraits of Chaucer, made in the first years following his death, when people would have still remembered what he looked like. The others are of early manuscript pages with images of the Canterbury pilgrims.

Translation provides a modern English translation of the General Prologue, presented alongside an unglossed Middle English version. At the bottom of the page is a menu that allows you to return to the home page or to go to specific locations within the translation.

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