Publisher's Synopsis
The Ellesmere manuscript of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" has for more than 100 years occupied a central position in discussions of the work. Since the early investigations of the Chaucer Society, the codex has been seen as one of the most important sources for evidence in determining Chaucer's text.;The history of the Ellesmere manuscript, now in the Huntington Library at San Marino, is well known; perhaps associated with the Pastons, it probably belonged to John de Vere, earl of Oxford, in the 15th century and to Roger, Lord North in the 16th century before becoming part of the library of the earls of Bridgewater until 1917. A facsimile was issued in 1911 (and is now itself extremely rare) and it is this that is reproduced here, in an edition which is designed to bring the text to the attention of scholars once again. In conjunction with the recent working facsimiles of the Hengwrt manuscript and the Cambridge University Library MS Gg.4.27, the major Canterbury Tales texts are now readily available. The question of whether there has been an excessive reaction in the 20th century against the "canonisation" of the Ellesmere manuscript can now be examined with much of the evidence in readily accessible form.;The present volume reproduces the 1911 facsimile at 80% of actual size, in order to present a manageable and affordable copy of the original. Professor Ralph Hanna's introduction sheds much light on both the critical status of the Ellesmere manuscript, and explores the problems presented by the printing of the 1911 facsimile.
