The Penguin Froissart | Chronicles (Penguin Classics)

An enjoyable read of some of Froissart | Chronicles (Penguin Classics) | Jean Froissart

books:


	• Chronicles (Penguin Classics) Jean Froissart Penguin Classics, 1978 - 496 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Abridged - not complete

I bought this for my son. He now tells me that it has only 1/3 of the original work. The cover nowhere states that this has been abridged, edited or selected. My son says it is like abridging Herodotus - not a good idea, and best left to the original reader to decide what is interesting and what isn't.

The Penguin Froissart

The Penguin edition of Froissart's Chronicles translated from the French by Brereton in 1967 is the best modern English version of this history of the 100 Years' War I have found. It is condensed to apx. 500 pp. and some important passages are left out or paraphrased. There is heavy emphasis and detail on events in England, somewhat neglecting events in France and the continent. Froissart devoted attention in the original to both sides. The Penguin I ordered was new and reasonable priced.

for more information click here

An enjoyable read of some of Froissart

If you are coming to Froissart only casually, then this is a fine edition to use. The translation is fluid and the interstitial notes just fine. The work is heavily abridged, of course, but one can expect nothing else from an edition for the reader-on-the-street: the full text of the Chronicles is enormously long, and at almost 500 pages, this volume is already a lengthy read. The selected excerpts are great reading, though one wonders sometimes what one is missing. There is nothing quite like reading a history of times past from the pen of a contemporary master historian: Froissart depicts the customs and conflicts of his day in wondrous vividity and with considerable charm. All in all, a hearty recommendation.

for more information click here

Froissart - Medieval Historian

Jean Froissart was a historian, writer and poet who chronicled some of the events of medieval Europe. That his work survives and is widely read to this day is remarkable in itself since Froissart's original books are more than 600 years old. Froissart's importance as a historian, strangely enough, is not because of his primary focus on European conflicts or the chivalrous nobility and in fact, Froissart has been shown to be inaccurate in some areas. The true value of Froissart's perspectives lie in the combination of subjects and the details of his accounts. Froissart wrote contemporary history that was meant to be read and appreciated in his own time. Even if Froissart might be a bit off on the details of a certain battle, we can be sure he related how battles in general were viewed. The same is true for tournaments, dress, food, etiquette, opinions and class perceptions. In a general sense, Froissart gives us much on excellent authority because his contemporary audience would have demanded realism in the particulars of daily life. Froissart presents us with a window into medieval society.

Chronicles is a very enjoyable read as either history or literature. Froissart's chapters are bite-sized and easy to digest. Even those who like medieval style fanatasy may warm to Froissart's realistic descriptions of battle, noble knights and elegant ladies.

for more information click here

A Must Read for Period Historians

Froissart's work, as translated into the modern English by Geoffrey Brereton, provides a glimpse into the history, culture and intrigues of the 100 Years War period from 1322-1400. The abridged work presented here is accessible for any reader. While there are significant abridgements as noted by other reviewers, the work itself is well put together and flows reasonably well, with the abridged pieces described by the editor in italics throughout the book. The translation into the modern English makes the book eminently readable for non-scholars, and the insights into culture, warfare, court life and historical events are both interesting and poignant.

for more information click here

The Chronicles of Froissart (1337-1410) are one of the greatest contemporary records of fourteenth-century England and France. Depicting the great age of Anglo-French rivalry from the deposition of Edward II to the downfall of Richard II, Froissart powerfully portrays the deeds of knights in battle at Sluys, Crecy, Calais and Poitiers during the Hundred Years War. Yet they are only part of this vigorous portrait of medieval life, which also vividly describes the Peasants' Revolt, trading activities and diplomacy against a backdrop of degenerate nobility. Written with the same sense of curiosity about character and customs that underlies the works of Froissart's contemporary, Chaucer, the Chronicles are a magnificent evocation of the age of chivalry.

for more information click here

reviews: page 1, 2

hot