General Prologue Paragraph

When I started the reading for today, I was unsure of how to actually read the text. On my iPad, I pulled up the translation online and propped it up in front of me while I cracked open the physical book in my lap. I tried reading the Middle English out loud, but gave up after several lines. There was no way that I was going to understand what Chaucer meant “that Aprill with his shoures soote / The droghte of March hath perced to the roote…” (The Canterbury Tales, GP, lines 1-2). I knew that I would need to constantly refer to the translation throughout my entire reading, but I did not want to abandon the Middle English all together. So, I tried reading a few lines in the book and then referring to the translation, section by section. This, too, got frustrating and I gave up on page one. Finally, I just decided to go for it, reading through the Middle English, focusing on the words, and figuring out on my own what Chaucer was saying before referring to the translation. Slowly, this began to work for me as I realized that I could actually understand about 80% of the Middle English. I referred back to the translation when I was unsure or completely lost, but by page 7 I found a steady rhythm this way that carried me pretty quickly through the rest of the reading. I came, I saw, and I read. 

Rebecca 

(Source for image: http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/360jdu/)