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I love that Armitage translation. The original is something else! Not doable like Middle English. Incidentally the Poet Laureate is appointed for the whole of the UK but Scotland also has a Makar and Wales has a National Poet or Bardd Cenedlaethol Cymru in Welsh.

I was intrigued to see as I watched this whether the Middle English would fall into place for you. I read my way slowly through The Canterbury Tales last year and found it gradually became almost entirely comprehensible and I didn’t need to refer to my modern English version. I could see the same happening for you.

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I am enjoying your university experience! I am reading Shakespeare’s Metrical Art. Have heard of it? It’s WOW. Someday you’ll want to read it.

Congratulations on making it to the end of Michaelmas term and merry Christmas and a happy festive period for you!!

I'd really like to read the Simon Armitage translation of Sir Gawain, but that Middle English version looks tough! You're basically learning another language there. Thanks for not spoiling it! Good luck with your essay.

Excellent introduction to Ulysses. It's a brilliant book but needs to be approached with some preparation first. The audio book is very helpful to understand the flow of the words in the long sections that have no punctuation.

You know what, I wonder if Shakespeare was trying to make a comment or judgement on the honor culture of the ancient world, favoring a more thoughtful, compassionate way of making social decisions, which pointed more towards the modern mentality

I feel no envy for you having to write academic papers! If most ademic essays about literature and history read like nonsense, its because they are. Career-minded professors have to continually publish. The use of jargon and vocabulary from other disciplines mostly helps fill the page. And any writer who over writes is likely covering up the fact they have nothing to say. I suggest keeping in mind the six rules of composition Orwell has at the end of "Politics and the English Language." Especially rule #5: "Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent." Good luck and Merry Christmas!

Happy Christmas!

I vaguely remembered this book from school. Aged 12 when I read it, it wasn't easy to take in all the underlying themes it contains. The rusty old magnets, the sundial, deadly nightshade etc never made any sense to me as a schoolchild. I have severe dyslexia and struggle to read any novel from pages and only began 'reading' again around 5 years ago in my late 30s using Audiable. I listened to this last year and would also rate it a 5/5. Its not for everyone, I would agree. The opening prologue "The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there' is a very thought provoking statement.

I hope you'll get better from your cold soon! I've enjoyed this video very much, as usual with your Uni vlogs (and your videos in general ☺️). Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

I have heard that listening to Middle English helps with it because the spelling is different, but the pronunciation is quite similar to Modern English, so maybe you can find an audiobook. Glad to see that you are enjoying the classes. Wishing you a good rest, a lot of creativity in your writing, and a very happy Holiday season!!!

Have a very happy Christmas my friend, I look forward to seeing you again in January!

I would love to do my reading ahead of time but unfortunately, most of my Professors don’t post their reading list until one or two weeks before the semester.

You are quite the inspiration. I recently read Tolkien's translation of Sir Gawain but have yet to attempt Middle English. One thing I was curious about: is your husband and in-laws also Chinese?

Best wishes with what you choose to read. I hope you get some great stories.

I enjoyed your presentation, thank you. I dove into Ulysses some years ago. Dubliners is one of my favorite books ever - The Dead is maybe the best short story I have ever read. Portrait of the Artist is great. So I just dove into Ulysses, with an old hard cover copy I found that contained no explanations or annotations. Sure, some parts were hard to follow, and there's no doubt I missed a lot, but it was an amazing experieince. Riding the subway home late at night (I'm a musician in NYC), I more than once found myself reading out loud, without realizing it! (The few other passangers must have thought I was crazy!) Even when I didn't understand what I was reading, the sound of the words was like music. Sometimes a single page was enough, I couldn't take in any more. I called it "swimming in chocolate" - just the sound of the words was so rich. At 66 years old now, I hope to re-read it soon, perhaps with a study group this time (I know such groups exist). Have you read Finnegan's Wake? It is also sitting on my book shelf...

Thank you so much! This was an excellent and most helpful video which really got me excited to read The Watsons.

It’s Elvet Riverside in the background! I am enjoying all my Durham nostalgia and hearing about your studies!

I love seeing how much enjoyment you get out of your course!!

Cleopatra as a "good woman" is a bafflingly, especially when you consider how the actual Cleopatra behaved. I did remember what a professor said about Chaucer, that Chaucer had a sense of irony so big that you can't see it. Calling Cleopatra good is the joke, I guess. The Parliament of Birds was inspired, I was told, by a Sufi poem called The Conference of Birds by Farid Attar. Enjoying the academic updates!

I am enjoying your videos very much and appreciate your perspective on your university experience. Thanks for sharing your life with us.

I have the Riverside Chaucer but have never read about the Good Women, now I must try it. I bought it for the original Canterbury Tales, but of course it includes othe things. Love these videos which introduce other classics - thanks for taking us along.

Today in a class I teach about Japanese diary literature, we discussed the Towazugatari (Lady Nijo's own story in one of the translations) 🚨SPOILER AFOOT and it starts with the rape of the main character SPOILER END 🚨 Since it is a diary it was written by a woman from her perspective. And in your video, you discussed several rapes from the point of men (Chaucer, Shakespeare). It would be interesting to compare how differ, or not, the recount of that kind of fact from a female or male authorship. Thank you for these interesting videos, Nicole, and absolutely beautiful the clips from your travel!

I really appreciate for your content! would you please twll me what's your goal in this platform?

The Cleopatra sounds interesting- I've only ever read about the Chaucer edition. The snake pit sounds crazy!

A book lover's dream! I dearly dream of visiting Edinburgh one day!

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Thank you for a very useful and interesting video. I can see why you favour the Oxford Schools edition. But maybe when you’re more familiar with the plays, the Oxford or Arden will prove useful for further study. As far as the Oxford Shakespeare edition is concerned, many of the original hardbacks (which I bought as they came out) can now be had for under £20, some under £10. The main point is that these are printed on a cream or off-white paper and will lie flat. They have purple dust jackets. However, be sure to prefer the original printings (1980s to early 2000s), as the later print-on-demand versions are basically the paperback text block in hard laminated boards and you’ll be no better off.

This series of videos is super interesting!

Fascinating!

Good work with studies so far! The Middle English sounds good. Keep reading!

I just found your channel today and really enjoyed all the contents. I wish you all the best in your new adventure and look forward to hearing your insights and thoughts on literatures and books down the road! :D

You did it!! Way to go!! 🎉

I have a book called No Fear Canterbury Tales that has the original on the left page and a line by line translation on the right page.

I enjoyed this. It’s been decades since I read _T&C._ You did a great job!

Does Penguin include middle and modern English in that volume you hold up or did you have a separate book for modern English? Love your library.

Im still trying to read Canterbury Takes in Middle English. That is quite a demanding module, to have u read it all in Middle English. It will be a rewarding feeling at the end of it.

I'm so glad bookshops like this still exist.

Your hat is wonderful and I'm trying to find one. What do they call it in stores? Who sells them? Is yours wool? Sorry for these silly questions but I'm having a hard time finding one.

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Chrestien de Troyes is one I've been interested in picking up but I've never heard anyone else talk about them!

I loved to hear your thoughts. Good luck with the Chaucer!

I see you picked ‘Planet Narnia’ off the shelf. I really recommend it if you’re interested in C. S. Lewis. It explains his private and undisclosed thinking behind the Narnia books. They weren’t just Christian allegories but each of the seven novels is further and secretly informed by the medieval astrological attributes of each of the five known planets plus sun and moon. So, for example, ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, is infused with the attributes of Jupiter/Jove, chiefly jollity. This is the real key to the stories and shows how Lewis was able to add a discrete layer of meaning, involving aspects of that medieval literature and lore which he had studied and loved so much, into his iconic stories for children. (I have no connection with author or publisher, just a love of books!)

As always you have taught me things I didn’t know. You have answered questions I’ve had. I’m so happy for you getting to attend these seminars but also happy for me that you share what you’ve learned.

Sounds like you are reading the big names! The two French writers, I 'm ashamed to admit, have always been names to me. This is my negligence. French Lit didn't start for me until Montaigne. But I liked what you said about them so why not? In college I read Troilus and Criseyde and Canterbury Tales, both in modern English. Middle English sounds like poetry read aloud by a Norwegian with a sinus infection. But they were a good read. How is the creative non fiction module going?

I feel like I'm getting a potted version of your degree and it's great!

Sounds like a great seminar. Very interesting about the role of romance as language. The stories sound cool. Fascinating to hear the origin of romantic love in lit! I hope Chaucer is good.

When I was going to college (university), I was disappointed the way that we rushed through the modules/subjects. I want to stay and talk and really get a complete understanding no matter what I was studying. I was fortunate to have a professor who helped me understand how to write. I was in my 50's and had no idea what a thesis was or how to find the topic of the thesis. I was extremely scattered until I found her and although I am not an awesome writer - I am much better than I used to be. Your journey is inspiring!