GEOFFREY CHAUCER's CANTERBURY TALES - Pardoner's Portrait - recited by David Buchalter, M.A.

[pastrychef1985]

Your mom, however, was good in bed last night.

[rocco777]

hERP DERP

[spiderbum98]

ive got to learn the forst ten lines for wnglish homework way hard

[dsbuchalter]

@spiderbum98 You can do it. Just start by saying the first word. Then the first and the second word. Don't look at the paper. Then the first, second and third word. Then keep adding--word by word, or sense unit by sense unit--and don't look at the paper. Keep repeating and repeating. Try as little as possible to look, and as much as possible to feel the sounds in your mouth, and the colors of the sounds, and maybe the meanings. Feel your lips and tongue and cheeks as you say them. Repeat 1000x.

[nyognyog]

I teach The Pardoner's Tale as part of an Early English Lit. course. I'd LOVE to have the whole tale. Such luscious insults later on!!!

I agree with the positive comments about your reading/performance.

[dsbuchalter]

@nyognyog Well, that would be fun to record. Which institution should I dedicate that recording to?

[EDOCUMONSHIT]

Awesome! 

[Xenu]

Great reading!! How long have you studied Chaucer for? I tend to have a hard time reading the Middle English but am not satisfied with translations considering how beautiful the original is. In translation the elegance is lost and only the sing-songy element remains.

[Xenu]

Could you do the rest of the "Pardoner's Prologue and Tale" is that too much? :-) Can you suggest any good recordings of the entire "Tales."

[Roxas4ever]

Lol, thanks for the help with the Middle English :)

[okzoia]

Bravo! We need more of this kind of stuff.

[dsbuchalter]

Thank you much! I've been thinking of doing a reading of all that familiar stuff from the opening of the General Prologue - except I want to bring out all the jokes that most people miss, like the fact that "every veyne is bathed in liquor" and they're departing from a pub! Perhaps one of these days. I appreciate the encouragement.

[maxicarly]

I wish you would do a reading of the GP! You have no idea how much your recitation of the Pardoner's Portrait delights me.

[Rolladisco]

Beautifully pronounced and well performed. You are something of a born entertainer, David..

[maxicarly]

According to what my ear remembers from a Chaucer class I took 20 or so years ago, your Middle English is pretty accurately pronounced. And not only do you pull off the language, but also you perform with charm and interest. Well done!

[dsbuchalter]

Thank you for your very generous comment. As you know, the best that we can do, so far as accents go, is try to reassemble the way Middle English sounded by using evidence from rhymes and tools like the linguistic atlas. Part of what allows Chaucer to pull off so many puns (and there are a ton on "to wynne" / "twynne" in this portrait that resonate with a circumcision of the heart / flesh diametric opposition established in the opening and ending of the GP and Pardoner's Pro & Tale!). Thnx!

[purpletgrose]

Love it. How did you learn to speak Middle English so fluently? Can you speak Old English as well? I would love to hear you recite Beowulf.

[dsbuchalter]

Thanks for your kind comment. I first got into Chaucer at the encouragement of my University of Hull, England, professor--Dr. Lesley Coote. She wore leather trousers to class and encouraged me to read the stuff out loud; my housemates kindly listened to me read, and joined in too, all that semester. I went to the Brynmore Jones library and, reading along, listened with headphones to an old record player; even the four year old I once babysat was kind enough to let me read Chaucer to him!

[dsbuchalter]

And I would love to recite some Beowulf for you! The only part I have memorized is that of the coast guard. I took a course in Old English at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York, UK. But actually I learned that Beowulf part for a play that the medieval theatre group put on--we "dramatized" the epic; the group was called The Lords of Misrule. It ruled.

And how did you get into Old and Middle English?

[017524062]

Excellent! Your timing, gestures, gesticulations, facial expressions and vocal tones bring Chaucer to life. I am not very familiar with Middle English so I found it a little fast . What wonderful poetry - how earthy and human - it makes one appreciate how much like us they were - it's the closest thing to a time machine that we have. Thank you.

[dsbuchalter]

You're very kind - thanks a lot. --David

[HenryMuldrow]

You are great! Good luck. Thanks.

[dsbuchalter]

Thank you!

[Pein740]

I also heard you in school so our teacher could give us a better grip on the story. I was interested in Chaucer but your reading put me off. You are over the top, irritating and you clearly can't do an english accent which is ironic in your situation.

[dsbuchalter]

Well I suppose Dr. Johnson was right about it being better to be criticized harshly than ignored. Still, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that your screen name is fitting, Pein.

[xXxluvinCMBxXx]

xxxlolxxx =]

we watched u ah skl 2daii

hehehe  XD

[dsbuchalter]

Ra-leh? c000L. Wha skl?

[McWalker25]

you totally made this fun.

I just bought the book yesterday because the language fascinates me...

but only if I'm listening to it :'(

I nay understand by reading it.

Can you recommend an audio book that makes the story as lively as you, or just about?

[Ambee630]

I love the Canterbury Tales! That was really good!! XD

[dsbuchalter]

Thank you for listening and for your kind comment. What's your favorite Tale?

[Ambee630]

My favorite one is the Pardoner's and The Wife of Bath!!

And I totally watched your video while I was doing my paper on The Canterbury Tales. You were really great! It was a lot easier to follow too, so thank you!! :)

[dsbuchalter]

I'm so happy to hear that the video made Chaucer easier to follow! I don't think there's a better compliment than that.

It's interesting that you like both the Pardoner's and the Wife of Bath's Prologues and Tales. I've been trying to think about ways that these two pilgrims are related (my research is on the Pardoner). Why do you think these two in particular are appealing?

[Ambee630]

I just really love their tales the best. Although, I like some of the other pilgrim's tales too... I love that even after the Pardoner tells everyone his relics are fake he still tries to get hte narrator to buy one... the narrator gets so angry, I laughed!! Chaucer has awesome satire. A monk that hunts and loves material things... an amorous Nun! It's just awesome!!

[RCMSgrl124]

Hey! I got your email and checked out this video. I wish I looked at this before I recited the prologue. Ha, Chaucer being 50 cent?

thanks again!

Annie

[dsbuchalter]

;) Thanks Annie for your comment! Yes, the 50 Cent / Chaucer connection!

[kalacaw]

Bravo! Bravo! Oh my God! You're magnificent! I must subscribe to you immediately, so that people will think I know as much as you know about Chaucer! ;-)

Truly, thank you for providing this response. You made my day.

[dsbuchalter]

:) You're too kind.

I'm still learning about

Chaucer too. I couldn't tell you what every tale is about off the top of my head.

It was great to hear your reading!

[melissais]

Lol "He'd Be 50 CENT!!" Hehe xD

Nice Readings =)

Meli

[FulbrightOrientation]

LOL - haha - thanks!

[moonpoetry]

You really are obsessed with the Pardoner's Portrait aren't you, David?

I've tried to like Chaucer. I really have. Professor Carol's lectures were even interesting to me, but that was only because it was professor Carol doing the lecturing, and I love that little old hobbit. But alas, I've never understood Chaucer... Oh well, there's still hope. I didn't like Shakespeare for the longest time either, and then when I was in professor Kiefer's class, it just"clicked" one day. You never know...