Here's the entertainment

I've heard 2 different claims as to the source of the following oddity. Some say it was whipped up by a college professor many years ago. But the moderator in charge of a  writers group I attended said it was the product of several bright college boys (including her nephew), in the1980s, who were taking a break from their studies. Either way, here it is. Have fun.

Ladle Rat Rotten Hut

Wants pawn term, dare worsted ladle gull how lift wetter murder inner ladle cordage honor itch offer lodge dock florist. Disc ladle gull orphan worry ladle rat cluck wetter putty ladle rat hut, end fur disc raison, pimple cauldron ladle rat rotten hut.

     Wan moaning, rat rotten hut's murder colder inset, "Ladle rat rotten hut, heresy ladle basking winsome burden barter end shirker cockles. Tick disc ladle basking tudor cordage off year groin murder hoe lifts honor udder site other florist. Shaker lake, dun stopper laundry wrote, end yonder no sorghum stenches dun stopper torque wet strainers."

     "Hoe cake, murder," resplendent ladle rat rotten hut, end ticker ladle basking end stuttered oft.

     Honor wrote tudor cordage off year groin murder, ladle rat rotten hut mitten anomalous woof. "Wail, wail, wail," set disc wicket woof, "evanescent ladle rat rotten hut! Wares putty ladle gull goring wizard ladle basking?"

     "Aroma goring tumor groin murder's," reprisal ladle gull.  "Grammar's seeking bet. Armor ticking air burden barter end shirker cockles."

     "Oh hoe! Heifer blessing woke," setter wicket woof butter taught tomb shelf, "Oil tickle shirt court tudor cordage off ear groin murder--oil ketchup wetter letter, end den, oh bore!"

     Soda wicket woof tucker shirt court, end whinney retched a cordage off ear groin murder, picket inner window an sore debtor pore oil worming worse line inner bet. Inner flesh disc abdominal woof lipped honor betting adder rope. Zany pool dawn a groin murder's nut cup end gnat gun, any curdle dope inner bet. 

     Inner ladle wile, ladle rat rotten hut a raft adder cordage an ranker dough ball.

     "Comb ink, sweat hard," setter wicket woof disgracing is verse.

     Ladle rat rotten hut entity bet rum end stud buyer groin murder's bet.

     "Oh grammar!" crater ladle gull, "wart bag icer gut! A nervous sausage bag ice!"

     "Butter do lucky chew whiff, doll ink,"  whisker disc ratchet woof whither wickert small.

     "Oh grammar, water bag noisy got! A nervous suture anomalous prognosis!"

     "Butter do small your whiff," inserter woof, ants mouse worse waddling.

     "Oh grammar, water bag mousey got! A nervous suture bag mouse!"

     Daze worry on forget nut gull's lest warts. Oil off ear sudden, trolling offer carvers an sprinkling otter bet, disc curl an bloat Thursday woof ceased pore ladle rat rotten hut an garbled erupt.

Mural: Yonder no sorghum stenches shut ladle gulls stopper torque wet strainers.

-----Anomalous

Current events

It's been a while. I've been working on some dolls for our annual fund-raiser at church. Then--an unplanned event--I took a fall.  No broken bones, thank goodness, but a couple of remarkable bruises. Pretty low on energy, but I'm planning to enter a piece just for entertainment-value soon.
      We will get back to Chaucer--that's for sure.

Chaucer continues to challenge

Let's review the reason for the title of this blog. When I went to college and saw things differently in Chaucer than the reasons presented in the texts, or scholarly articles, I wondered if it would be proper to doubt an age-old authority. Then I came upon The Art of Literary Research by Richard D. Altick. Such fascinating reading about perpetuated misprints, anachronistic "evidence," and "facts" that had been presented exactly the opposite from what was true. When Altick referred to:

      . . . an assumption of critics or literary historians which has gone unchallenged so long that it now seems as impregnable as an old-fashioned Gospel truth . . .

I felt justified in questioning age-old authorities. Actually, I felt encouraged to do so.

We'll look at just two instances where declarations made by worthy scholars, more than a century ago, are treated like Gospel. It's time to show some serious disregard for what amounts to old "opinions."
     The first one deals with the term "The Marriage Group." In the sequence of the Tales, four of them referred to as this "Group" begin with the Wife of Bath's Prologue and end with the Franklin's Tale. The term was elaborately discussed by George Lyman Kittredge, a "celebrated" Harvard scholar. He is often credited with introducing the term in 1912. But when I heard a young doctoral candidate refer to the "Group" as if it had been Chaucer's own idea, I was shocked. So convinced of its validity, she had never questioned its origin.

A second perpetual opinion comes from Bernhard ten Brink (d. 1892). It is true that much honor is owed the man; his research stimulated the revival of the study of Geoffrey Chaucer's works. And again, when such an eminent scholar makes a statement, how can we deny its value? Yet one statement I do deny--and forcefully.
     Here's the background: The Cook's unfinished tale follows the ever-popular Miller's Tale and the equally risqué Reeve's Tale. Ten Brink speculated that the Cook's plot was headed in a bawdy direction and, therefore, Chaucer broke off writing the story because the poet realized "three stories of the same [vulgar] stamp following each other" would be "too much for the reader." The Pilgrim Cook, however, in the introduction to his story, says he'll simply tell a little joke (litel jape). Ten Brink saw the main character as a "licentious . . . apprentice"--but it is only a façade!
     Chaucer uses tactics similar to old riddles in adapting details of human form and activity. Where an old riddle speaks of a bee as a "short little gentleman," Chaucer tells of a "proper short fellow." And where a riddle pictures a swarm of bees as "a heap of people on London Bridge," Chaucer uses a similar image, but a different structure. He describes a group of revelers who "sometimes led to Newegate." Editors explain this "Newegate" as the name of a prison--but we can just as easily visualize a swarm clumped on a new gate! That is part of the charm and challenge of allegory.
     It is also significant to notice that the Cook speaks not of an apprentice cook but of a victualler, a gatherer of foodstuffs! The food gatherer is brown as a berry, a proper short fellow who is like a hive full of honey. The disguised identity of this little character is the prevalent English brown bee. But he's not just any bee--he's a good-for-nothing drone. Cooks were well acquainted with honey as a coveted cooking ingredient. Industrious worker bees, worthless drones, and the movements of swarms were all common knowledge in Chaucer's day. Therein lies the point of the Tale.

So, don't be afraid to contradict old opinions when your view is contrary to what you've read. Do your research. Be careful. Be thorough. You might discover something darned exciting! Remember, what's been said before ain't Gospel!

Chaucer murdered ?

This blog is dedicated to questioning the usual opinions regarding things Chaucerian. Mr. Terry Jones' questions and opinions belong here. You may recognize his name as part of the comic genius of Monty Python, but his attitude turns deadly serious when it comes to dealing with the death of Geoffrey Chaucer.
     Are  you aware that, in addition to comedy, Jones has a reputation as a presenter of history in both books and TV documentaries? He provides a "challenge [to] popular views of history." Terry Jones' Medieval Lives (2004) received an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming." When he proposes the possibility that Chaucer was murdered, we should be attentive! Yes, his questions and opinions belong here.

He had the idea about Chaucer's death for thirty years, without finding the time to research and write it. But serendipity stepped in when he was invited to create an entertainment for the closing session of The Chaucer Society, an international literary group. With a twist of genius, the piece was staged as an inquest into the death of Chaucer! It was well received.
     So much time, energy and enthusiasm had already been invested that these friends were eager to help turn the project into a book. Each would contribute an essay in the area of their expertise or their area of interest.

The book (Who Murdered Chaucer?) boldly questions currently held historical details and interpretations. For example, how had Chaucer survived the political upheaval during the reign of King Richard, though many friends had not?

In 1400--the year of Chaucer's death--the poet leased a house for 53 years. Does that sound like the action of a man who expected to die soon? But Henry had usurped the throne; Richard was confined to the Tower and died (perhaps by starvation) in February. The rented house was on the grounds of Westminster Abbey. Could there be thoughts of "sanctuary"?
     Why do we know so little about the death of Chaucer who was revered by his contemporaries? Why does no one allude to illness, or details of a funeral? What happened to his estate? If renting his house is officially recorded, why is there no mention of his demise in an official document? How could he just vanish without a word?
     And what became of his manuscripts? None are listed in wills or inventories of the day. Jones wonders whether they could have been deliberately destroyed for political reasons.
     Terry Jones and his cohorts (and I) hope Who Murdered Chaucer? will stimulate further investigation into overlooked possibilities.

Canterbury Limericks?

A clever fellow in the writers group I attend is named Mr. Kohoutek. He may be a distant relation of the comet of the same name. One of his talents is organizing things. His latest project was a limerick contest. A "poet" in spite of himself, his own contribution is a series of related limericks.

I'm inspired to share them with you because they were dedicated to me!

The Canterbury Limericks

by

Frank Kohoutek

There once was a bloke name of Chaucer, 

Who wrote as he drank from his saucer,

The church said, "Geoffrey, my lad,

You must not be bad, 

And do not break the law, sir!"

He started to write anyway,

Hid his thoughts in word play,

Had they figured it out,

They'd be left with no doubt,

But he outfoxed them and got it away!

What were his messages about?

He hid his thoughts--couldn't shout, 

So thoroughly hidden,

His meanings unbidden,

It took Dolores to figure them out!

And so we are left with his tales,

Which some say are slower than snails,

But don't ever be blue,

'Cause this isn't true,

Mrs. Cullen has lifted the veils!

MAY  2015  BE A BLESSING TO US ALL.

In the Christmas spirit!

What do you know about Chaucer? I mean Chaucer the man or Chaucer the pilgrim character in the Canterbury Tales.The second book I wrote--Pilgrim Chaucer: Center Stage--explores both sides of him. To tell his whole story, I had to include an X-rated chapter!

If you'd like a copy of the book -- at no cost to you -- email your address to me (Chaucer600@aol.com) and I'll send you a copy. The offer is only good for US residents. Sorry, rest of the world.

If you want me to sign it, just say so. I'd be happy to. The number available is limited, of course. Isn't everything?

Y'all have a Merry Christmas and a splendid 2015.

(PS I've only received a small number of requests. Don't be shy.  lol  The offer is good through the Twelfth Day of Christmas --January 6.)

On the cyber trail

A comment I received a couple of days ago was a special treat. It had had quite a cyber trail before it reached me. Chaucer  ain't like Gospel! is linked to Facebook. What I received by email was a "friend" request for Facebook from a Mr. Mault, whom I knew not at all.

So for curiosity, if for nothing else, I queried, "Why would you want me as a friend? Who do you know that I know?" and "What's your opinion of Chaucer?"

Aha, Mr. Mault responded that he had seen my Chaucer chat on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20MzPHFmgSA

He also expressed the intention of reading my books and Chaucer's. Therefore, recognizing Mr. Mault of Ohio as a man of noble spirit and good intentions, I accepted him as a Facebook "friend."

When he next contacts me, I'll be sure to direct him to my website

http://celebratechaucer.com/

which holds a wealth of Chaucer information and considerable news of current Chaucer events and publications as well as stuff to download. 

A link to my radio interview (Oct 21) will also be there soon. 

http://radiomaria.us/shieldoffaith/

With all the busyness of Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, the powers that be just haven't gotten around to it yet. 

Blessings of the Season to all of you!