The
Second Nun's Tale
1. In Middle English
The Second
Nun's Prologue & the Second
Nun's Tale at the UVa Electronic Text Center.
Read the
Second Nun's Prologue and Tale in the context of Fragment
VIII - Group G.
2. In Modern English Translation
Scott Gettman's edition of the Canterbury Tales
(Electronic Literature Foundation) is accessible by individual tale & available in a
variety of formats: Middle English, Modern English, Facing Page, & Interpolated
- Glossed (frames; from unknown base text).
- Although unsuitable for formal research or college work, the
ELF is the best online version for younger readers and those unfamiliar with Middle
English. Easily navigable, and the Middle English glosses are very helpful.
The Litrix Reading Room translation
of the Canterbury Tales features rhyming couplets.
Sinan Kökbugur's helpfully glossed hypertext Middle English rendition of the complete Canterbury Tales is available at the Librarius page. Use the Table of
Contents in the left frame to click on a specific Tale, and difficult terms and phrases
are glossed in the lower frame.
Skip
Knox's selection
of Canterbury Tales in Modern English (Boise State) includes the Prologue to the
Second Nun's Tale and the Second Nun's Tale
(from an unknown base text).
3. Historical & Cultural Backgrounds
Chaucer's Second Nun tells the story of a saint's life--St. Cecilia.
Stories about saints and other holy people are termed "hagiography." The IMSB
has an excellent Saints' Lives
page that will give you an excellent starting point for research into this fascinating
area of medieval studies.
John Foxe's Book of Martyrs (
Wheaton College, Christian Classics Ethereal Library) dates from the 16th century and
harbors a distinctly pro-Protestant perspective, but also includes earlier martyr stories.
The New Advent Catholic Website hosts a number of
important resources, especially the online Catholic
Encyclopedia (1913 ed.) and its thousands of entries. Entries relevant
to the Second Nun's Tale include:
4. Sources, Analogues, & Related Texts
TEAMS Middle English Text
Series (Russell Peck, URochester) houses a number of lesser known and
hard to find medieval texts in helpful student editions. A generous and fascinating
selection not to be missed! Each selection includes a scholarly introduction
and full notes. Some of the selections related to the Second Nun's Tale
include:
- Middle English Legends of Women
Saints
(ed. Sherry L. Reames), Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval Institute
Publications, 2003.
- John Capgrave, The Life of Saint
Katherine (ed. Karen A. Winstead), Kalamazoo, MI: Medieval
Institute Publications, 1999.
"All
TEAMS texts are under copyright, whether in hard copy or in electronic
form. The on-line texts provided here are meant for individual use only.
To download and make multiple copies for course use, you must have
permission from the managing editor of Medieval
Institute Publications."
Read another version of the St. Cecilia
legend, this one printed by William Caxton (1483) from an important collection of saints'
lives called the Golden Legend.
Other interesting and important female saints' lives include Paul Halsall,
(Internet Medieval Sourcebook):
5. Online Notes & Commentary
Discussion and links concerning the Second Nun's Tale on
Larry D. Benson's superlative Geoffrey
Chaucer Page (Harvard). Includes e-texts of scholarly essays, sources and ancillary
texts, and capsule discussions of key issues. Some of the items related to the
Second Nun's Tale include:
6. Online Articles
 Increase
and Multiply in the Speech Acts of Chaucer's Nun's Priest, Second Nun, and
Canon's Yeoman (Frederick Martin, Tulane U), from an ongoing e-project
melding critical and cultural theory & medieval studies. See Martin's
e-dissertation in progress, Pilgrimage
in the Age of Schism: Chaucer, Sociological Poetics, and the Canterbury
Tales.
7. Student Projects & Essays
Anniina Jokkinen's Essays and Articles on Chaucer
includes a number of sample student essays, of varying quality. Like any other
source, student essays must be evaluated rigorously, cited correctly, and used
responsibly.
8. Online Bibliography
9. Syllabi & Course
Descriptions
10. Images & Multimedia
11. Language Helps & Audio Files
12. Potpourri
13. The Next Step
How to Document
Print & Electronic Sources:
The Chaucer Pedagogy
Documentation Primer
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