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New Edition of The Oxford Chaucer Unveiled at Humanities in the Village

Sharon and Chris in conversation

The poet Geoffrey Chaucer has been called the father of English poetry, and was the first poet to write in English whose name we know. He lived from around 1343-1400, and his most famous work today is The Canterbury Tales, which depicts a storytelling contest among Christian pilgrims walking from London to Canterbury. Besides his own poetry, Chaucer also produced translations of French and Latin poetry and philosophy as well as writings on science and astronomy. All these works have been newly edited by Christopher Cannon (JHU English) and James Simpson in The Oxford Chaucer.

On Monday, February 24th, 2025, the February installment of Humanities in the Village took place at the Bird in Hand bookstore to celebrate The Oxford Chaucer. Chris was joined in discussion by Sharon Achinstein (JHU English).

Audience members captivated by Chris and Sharon's engaging discussion

Chris and Sharon discussed Chaucer’s life and literary achievements. Chris read aloud from several of Chaucer’s poems, including the climax of “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” a funny (and secretly profound) story about a rooster and a fox, which Chris told the audience was his favorite tale from The Canterbury Tales. He and Sharon, who recently edited a volume of writings by the poet John Milton, also talked about the joys and challenges of creating new editions of famous writers.

Afterwards, members of the audience asked questions about how to work with medieval manuscripts, when to deviate from choices made by earlier editors, and how long it takes to make a new edition (answer: The Oxford Chaucer took over a decade!).

We thank Chris and Sharon, the Bird in Hand team, as well as everyone who joined us for this great conversation! Join us again on Monday March 31st 2025 for the next Humanities in the Village gathering, when Martha S. Jones will discuss her new book, The Trouble of Color.