CHAUCER\u27S TRANSLATION TECHNIQUE (ENGLAND)

This dissertation analyzes Chaucer\u27s translations from the French on the verbal level. The purposes of this dissertation are to show how Chaucer depended on native material for his translations, and to characterize the literature of the French writers whose works Chaucer used. Chapters One and Two define the process of translation. Chapter One examines major grammatical and stylistic differences between Chaucer\u27s Romaunt and the Roman. Chapter Two discusses the religious verse, An ABC. The varieties of translation provide important clues as to vocabulary, grammar, and verse structure. Chaucer\u27s reliance on English was perhaps influenced by his position at court. This association may explain the presence of native Marian hymnody in his translation. When Chaucer wrote The Book of the Duchess, he integrated several works by Machaut and Froissart. The goal of this chapter is to study how Chaucer assimilated particular lines from various texts. Attention is drawn to grammatical differences, vocabulary, character development, and Chaucerian narrative. The final chapters discuss Chaucer\u27s bolder efforts. In the prose translations of Boece and Melibee, Chaucer changes his sources by incorporating cursus, and new vocabulary which, especially in Melibee, shows a deliberate attempt to inflate his work. Such divergence from the French permitted Chaucer to rely on native grammatical features. Boece and Melibee provide a perfect opportunity to study Chaucer as a creator of English prose. In The Merchant\u27s Tale, links with Deschamps\u27 text are few. Thus much of the chapter examines Chaucer as innovator both in terms of theme and character development. The freedom with which Chaucer handles Deschamps dramatizes his maturity as a poet, and his ability to surpass all restrictions imposed by his source. The results test the belief held by Wimsatt that Chaucer never diverged from French courtly poetry. This dissertation proves that Chaucer\u27s translations were not designed to continue the French tradition into English. Chaucer relied on the resources of English to adapt his poetry to more complicated human experiences. The dissertation demonstrates finally that it is the very function of the poet to alter received texts