Douglas North

The Wife of Bath Douglas North

I have called this a transformation instead of a translation because my primary purpose is not to give an accurate Modern English equivalent of each word and line of Geoffrey Chaucer's original, which was written in Middle English. Instead I made The Wife of Bath come alive by transforming her into a modern woman with a quick wit, sharp tongue, and deep understanding of women's lives. Ultimately Alison's personality is center stage in this transformation. She is now more like today's modern woman comic, perched on a stool instead of a horse and talking to a modern audience rather than a company of pilgrims. After all, she is a foremother of The Vagina Monologues, and she can lay claim to being the first feminist character in English Literature. You will understand her better, understand Chaucer differently, and enjoy more of her wisdom and wit. I can imagine a few audiences: -A modern casual reader who has never read Chaucer (and wouldn't). But she just picks it up (or loads it down) and has a satisfying read, getting to know The Wife of Bath and her story; Then she selects it for her book group, gaining great acclaim.-A student in a class reading Chaucer who finds the language of a rote translation stultifying and stilted--and just isn't enjoying it, -A student in a class reading it in the original Middle English who doesn't get the flow and essence of The Wife herself or of her Prologue. But once gained, that understanding could be backward engineered into the original.-An English teacher who thinks I tried really hard to be both accurate and spiritually faithful, and who enjoys it enough to think it was worth a few bucks. Finally, let me remind you of The Wife of Bath's words to her audience 600 years ago when asked to tell her tale: "Gladly," quod she, "sith it may you like. But that I praye to al this compaignye, If that I speke after my fantasye As taketh not agrief of that I sayeFor myn entente is nat but for to pleye,"***"Gladly," she said, "I'll give you what you wish. But to be clear, you all must comprehendThat if I tell all, I will surely bendThe truth a bit. So, listen up everyone!Remember that we're doing this for fun.