The Essential Chaucer
Contents: A selective, annotated bibliography of Chaucer studies by Mark Allen and John H. Fisher, based on that first published in 1987, containing over 900 entries.
Arrangement: A Table of Contents offers some 90 subject headings, ranging from manuscripts, editions, and reference works, through intellectual, social and literary milieu, to Chaucer’s individual works. Each subject heading is linked to a list of bibliographical entries, each entry annotated with summary of content and description of particular pertinence. Further cross references at the end of each set of entries.
The SAC Online Bibliography
Content: This is the New Chaucer Society bibliography, published annually in SAC (Studies in the Age of Chaucer), covering Chaucer scholarship since 1975, and available online at the University of Texas at San Antonio. It is the most complete and systematic tool available. NOTE that each entry is annotated.
Arrangement: Searchable by author, title, subject, or keyword.
Online Index to The Chaucer Review
Content: This site provides (1) an online index to the 798 articles published in The Chaucer Review during its thirty years and (2) online abstracts of those articles.
Arrangement: The subject index is alphabetical, its scope explained fully in the online introduction; the abstracts are arranged alphabetically by author’s last name and numbered sequentially. Head links allow one to jump to a letter of the alphabet (for the index) or to a range of some 40 items (for the abstracts). A search engine in promised.
Online Reviews of Recent Books about Chaucer
Edwin Duncan has provided links to these items from The Medieval Review.
Some Other On-line Chaucer Bibliographies:
Alan Baragona’s Chaucer Bibliography (includes links to other sources).
Content: Aimed at an undergraduate course that focuses on The Canterbury Tales and the short poems, this bibliography is selective but extensive. It includes bibliographies, biographies, histories, and studies of the poetry, mostly print sources but with some web links, as well. Updated frequently.
Arrangement: There are three sections. I. Bibliographies, “grouped . . . according to their usefulness for undergraduate research, with annotated bibliographies first”; II. Some Standard Reference Works and Collections; and III. Studies. Alan B.
Cambridge History of English Literature: Chaucer
Content: Section VII of The Cambridge History of English and American Literature, Vol. 2. The End of the Middle Ages, compiled by A.C. Paues and made available online by Bartleby.com. Very dated, but still useful, a comprehensive collection of works that predate 1921.
Arrangement: Fifteen sections. I. Manuscripts; II. Collected Works; III. Treastise on the Astrolabe; IV. Boethius; V. Canterbury Tales; VI. House of Fame; VII. Legend of Good Women; VIII. Minor Poems (Includes Book of the Duchess and Parliament of Fowls); IX. Romaunt of the Rose; X. Troilus and Criseyde; XI. Life of Chaucer; XII. Chronology of Works; XIII. Language and Metre; XIV. Translations; and XV. General Literature. Alan B.
Fidel Fajardo-Acosta’s Bibliography “Recent Chaucer Scholarship.”
Content: This bibliography by Prof. Fidel Fajardo-Acosta of Creighton University includes selected works dating from 1990 to 1996. Some are reference works like Eckhardt’s annotated bibliography of the General Prologue or Hallissy’s Companion. Most are studies of Chaucer’s techniques and themes in his work as a whole. Last modified in 1998; this link is to an archived version.
Arrangement: Alphabetical by author. Most are print resources, but there are links to a few online essays mixed in, as well. Alan B.
Donald Hoffman’s Chaucer Bibliography
Content: Towards the end of his course syllabus, Donald Hoffman of Northeastern Illinois University provides a selective annotated bibliography of introductory works. Prof. Hoffman’s annotations are brief but useful guides to the works. Last updated in October 1997; this link is to an archived version.
Arrangement: Categories are Essential Studies, Editions and Editing Problems, and Critical and Historical Studies. Alan B.
Harry Logan’s Chaucer Bibliography
Content: A broad bibliography compiled by Prof. Harry Logan of University of Waterloo, Ontario, for his course on The Canterbury Tales. Many, though not all, entries have brief evaluative remarks that serve as guidelines, useful for undergraduates.
Arrangement: Eight sections, one with subdivisions. I. Editions; II.Bibliographies, Dictionaries; III. Periodicals; IV. Reference Books; V. Language and Versification; VI. Historical and Social Background; VII. Some Special Studies (subsections include “Classical and Continental Associations,” “Dream Poetry,” “Geography, Science, and Astrology”); and VIII. Some Important Sources (e.g., Boccaccio and Jean de Meun). Alan B.
Derek Pearsall’s Thirty-Year Working Bibliography for Chaucer and Middle English Literature 1970-2000
Content:Derek Pearsall of Harvard University has compiled this bibliography for his personal use over a thirty year period. It is consequently more idiosyncratic than comprehensive, but it is wide ranging and fairly systematic. The emphasis is on secondary material rather than primary texts or editions. It is especially useful for the less well known non-Chaucerian material. It is aimed at both undergraduate and graduate students.
Arrangement: The bibliography has twelve sections according to subject matter: 1. General (Middle English), 2. Chaucer General, 3. Chaucer: The Canterbury Tales, 4. Chaucer: Other Works, 5. Gower, 6. Alliterative Poetry, 7. Romances Drama Lyrics, 8. Early ME poetry and prose, 9. Religious and Didactic Literature, 10. The 15th century, 11. Manuscripts and Books, 12. Festschrifts & other collections Alan B.
John F. Plummer’s Chaucer Bibliographies
Content:John F. Plummer of Vanderbilt University has compiled an excellent set of unannotated bibliographies, including three specifically on Chaucer. His site includes other bibliographies on non-Chaucerian medieval subjects like Adynaton and Sign Theory.
Arrangement: The first is a general bibliography; the second treats Chaucer’s influence on the English Renaissance, with emphasis on Spenser and Shakespeare; the third is on editing Chaucer. Alan B.
Stephen R. Reimer’s Bibliography
Content: This very substantial online bibliography from Stephen R. Reimer of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, devotes somewhat more than half of its entries to background on the Middle Ages in general, the 14th century, and Chaucer’s life and literary influences. Some entries have useful annotations which range from very brief to quite full.
Arrangement: In sections as follows: A. Reference; B. History (mostly but not exclusively of the late Middle Ages); C. Social and Ideological Background, with six further subdivisions; D. Linguistic Background; E. Literary Background (general medieval literature); F. Individual Authors and Topics (e.g., Boethius, Ovid); G. Geoffrey Chaucer. The bibliography can be searched using the browser’s Find function. Alan B.
University of Memphis Bibliography for The Canterbury Tales
Content:Compiled by Harriet Alexander, an extensive bibliography of works written about CT from 1976 to 2001. Some of the links to targets further down in the bibliography do not work, so one has to scroll or search. Last updated May 2002. Since it is no longer available through the University of Memphis, this link is to an archived version. The links at the top of the page no longer work, but one can scroll down to see the bibliography’s different sections.
Arrangement: After a “General” section, there is a section for the General Prologue and for each tale. Within each section, entries are arranged chronologically by groups of years, e.g. 1976-1981. Within each of the groups of years, entries are arranged chronologically, from oldest to most recent. Alan B.
Chaucer’s Middle English
Content:This is part of a larger resource, the bibliography of Oxford University’s faculty of English Language and Literature for “The History, Use and Theory of the English Language.” It lists a few general Chaucer sources but focuses on Chaucer’s use of language from a variety of perspectives, rhetorical, literary, and philological. Sample titles: Chaucer’s Language and the Philosopher’s Tradition, “Chaucer’s Poetic Style,” “Criseyde’s Heart and the
Weakness of Women: An Essay in Lexical Interpretation,” and “Chaucer’s Final -e.” Last updated September 1999.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
Chaucer’s language: Middle English bibliography
Content: A bibliography by Dr. Neal R. Norrick of Universität des Saarlandes, Denmark. Covers works from 1952 to 2002. Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
The World of Chaucer: Medieval Books and Manuscripts
Content: This bibliography is part of a web version of the catalogue of an exhibition of manuscripts and early printed books from Glasgow University Library held at the Hunterian Museum, 15 May to 28 August 2004. The works cover 14th-century history and editions of Chaucer, but the focus is on manuscripts, scribes, and book production.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
Books and Papers about Chaucer published in Korea
Content: An annotated bibliography of books and articles about Chaucer written and/or published in Korea, compiled by Brother Anthony of Taize, An Sonjae. Some titles are in code that may not be legible in all browsers, but almost all entries are readable. Last updated: August 15, 2004.
Arrangement: Divided into sections on books and articles, and alphabetically by author in each section. Books: 1. Korean Translations of Chaucer’s Works. 2. Editions and book-length studies of Chaucer’s works published in Korea. Articles: 1.Articles published in the Journal of English Language and Literature since 1989 . 2. Chaucer-related articles published in Medieval English Studies. 3. Chaucer-related articles published in other Korean journals and publications. Alan B.
The Amazon Voice in the Knight’s Tale: An Annotated Bibliography
Content: Compiled and annotated by Rita M. Jones for Michael Hanly’s web site at WSU; last updated 1996.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
Anniina Jokinen’s Annotated Bibliography for The Nun’s Priest’s Tale
Content: Anniina Jokinen has compiled and annotated a good, though brief, bibliography on the NPT; last updated 1998.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
Bibliography for The Treatise on the Astrolabe
Content: Part of the Online Medieval and Classical Library’s web site of the Skeat edition, prepared by Douglas Killings. The bibliography of secondary works is brief, but there is a useful description of every manuscript of Astrolabe . Last updated 1998.
Arrangement: A list of all manuscripts with links to descriptions, followed by a short list of secondary works on Astrolabe and a short list of editions of The Equatorie of the Planetis. Alan B.
Medieval Costume: An Annotated Bibliography by Laura Hodges.
Content:Though created mainly for the study of costume imagery in Chaucer, this is a wide ranging bibliography of medieval clothing in general, both historical and literary. Last updated May 2006.
Arrangement: By categories: I. How to Find Information Regarding Costume; II. Sumptuary Laws; III. History of Costume (Primarily, but Not Exclusively, English); IV. Accessories/accoutrements; V. Miscellaneous–Fur, Embroidery, Buttonholes, Lace, etc.; VI. Fabric, Clothmaking, Prices; VII. Costumes Depicted in Two- and Three-dimensional Visual Arts; VIII. Costumes Depicted on Funeral Brasses; IX. Costumes Depicted in Literature; X. Collections of Articles That Cross Categories; XI. Dictionaries for Costume Terms. Alan B.
Diane Thompson’s Troy Bibliography
Content: Diane Thompson, of Northern Viriginia Community College, has collected a brief, unannotated list of works pertaining to Troy in the Middle Ages and Chaucer’s Troilus and Criseyde; last updated July 1999.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
Recent Ovidian Bibliography: Chaucer
Content: Created by Sean Redmond, formerly Assistant Editor at the Database of Classical Bibliography, this is a subject heading under a larger Ovid Bibliography. All the entries are from the mid- to late 1990s. The site has not been updated since 1997 and will no longer be updated, but the resources are good ones. (Archived copy.)
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
The Matter of Araby in Chaucer and Medieval Poetry Bibliography
Content: Created for the Institute of Medieval Studies at the University of New Mexico, a brief but useful bibliography on a specific topic. (Archived copy.)
Arrangement: Divided into three sections: General (with only one entry); Chaucer (with several entries, mostly from the 1970s and 1980s); and Lyrics (focusing on troubadour poetry). Each section organized alphabetically by author. Alan B.
Masculinities and Gender Bibliography
Content: Part of Georgetown University’s Labyrinths web site, this general bibliography includes a number of entries on gender issues in Chaucer.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
A Chaucerian Cookery
Content: Created by James L. Matterer for the “Gode Cookery” medieval history website, this bibliography contains entries dating from 1888 to 1995. Some of the entries are very general (like The American Heritage Dictionary) or apply broadly to the study of Chaucer (like Baugh’s edition of The Major Poetry or Hussey’s Chaucer’s World: A Pictorial Companion), or are really about medieval cooking (e.g., in the 15th century), and the bibliography isn’t always careful (it misspells “Hussey”), but it provides a good collection of serious works on this specialized subject. Last updated December 1999.
Arrangement: Alphabetically by author. Alan B.
