Chaucer say what?

Editing: To prepare, set in order for publication (literary material which is wholly or in part the work of others) OED.

Editing: To organize thoughts and make words legible.

Dear Chaucer,

Your lines are beautiful. I love them, but most of the population many of my peers can't understand Old English. So please, don't take offense by what I'm about to do.

Sincerely,

Your Admirer

A. Hengwrt Manuscript (Aberystwyth, National Library of Wales, Peniarth 392) of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Wife of Bath’s Prologue

597 And trewely / as myne hou{s}bondes tolde me
598 I hadde the be{s}te quonyam / myghte be
599 Myn a{s}cendent/ was Taur / and Mars ther Inne
600 Allas / allas / that euere loue was synne
601 I folwed ay / myn Inclinacioun
602 By vertu / of my con{s}tellacioun
603 That made me / I koude noght withdrawe
604 My chambre of Venus / from a good felawe
605 ¶What sholde I seye / but at the Monthes ende
606 This ioly clerk / Iankyn þt was so hende
607 Hath wedded me / with greet solempnytee
608 And to hym yaf I / al the lond and fee
609 That euere was me yeuen / ther before

For the modern populace:

Once, I had the best lady parts out there, no lie. I descended from Taurus and Mars, like a goddess. Bah! Love is a sin! I followed my heart, instead of my mind. I couldn’t stop myself. I slept with a "good" man, and what’s there to say. At the end of the month, Jankin begrudgingly married me. I ended up giving him all my money and my land.

Tweet Speak:

"Fell in love in a hopeless place" #nomoney #prego #KatyPerry

Ellesmere Manuscript (San Marino, Huntington Library, Ellesmere) of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Wife of Bath’s Prologue

Lines 607 forward:
And trewely as myne housbondes tolde me,
I hadde the beste quonyam myghte be.
For certes I am al Venerien
In feelynge and myn herte is Marcien.
Venus me yaf my lust, my likerousnesse
And Mars yaf me my sturdy hardynesse.
Myn ascendent was Taur and Mars therinne.
Allas allas that evere love was synne
I folwed ay myn inclinacioun
By vertu of my constellacioun
That made me I koude noght withdrawe
My chambre of Venus from a good felawe.
Yet have I Martes mark upon my face
And also in another privee place
For God so wys be my savacioun
I ne loved nevere by no discrecioun
But evere folwede myn appetit
Al were he short, or long, or blak, or whit
I took no kep, so that he liked me
How poore he was ne eek of what degree
What sholde I seye but at the monthes ende
This joly clerk Jankyn that was so hende
Hath wedded me with greet solempnytee
And to hym yaf I al the lond and fee
That evere was me yeven therbifoore.

Truly, as my husband said, I had the best form of all. Certainly, I was born of Venus. In my mind and in my heart, I'm descended from Mars and Venus, who gave me lust and fortitude. Ah, love was a sin. I followed my inclination, and as my horoscope predicted, I lusted after a good man; yet, I have the unluckiness of Mars written upon my face (as well as another private place). For by God as my witness, I never loved by discretion, but always followed my desires instead. Whether he was short, long, black, or white, I didn’t pay attention, as long as he liked me. His wealth or degree didn't matter. What can I say but at the end of the month that happy clerk, Jankin, who was so kind, married me with great disdain and I gave him all the land and money that I possessed.


So, what's the purpose of all this? Why edit? In scholarly fields, as well as non-scholarly fields such as blogs, social networking sites, Youtube, etc., editing plays a major role in the communication factor between two parties. The way a text is edited can greatly change the meaning of a text. It can help others better understand the author's intent or it can smooth out the discourse for modern audiences, such as the changes made above. When I read Chaucer's original work out loud to a friend he had a hard time understanding exactly what was being said. After reading the edited version (and the tweet) the text ceased to be merely words on a page to him, and suddenly contained meaning. As an editor, that is the goal. In academics, meaning can sometimes get lost in a sea of big words and complicated analogies. Bringing meaning back to the text is like translating a work into the vernacular.