Chaucer's People

Everyday Lives in Medieval England

By: Liza Picard

Narrated by: Jennifer M. Dixon

The Middle Ages re-created through the cast of pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales.

Among the surviving records of 14th-century England, Geoffrey Chaucer's poetry is the most vivid. Chaucer wrote about everyday people outside the walls of the English court-men and women who spent days at the pedal of a loom, or maintaining the ledgers of an estate, or on the high seas. In Chaucer's People, Liza Picard transforms The Canterbury Tales into a masterful guide for a gloriously detailed tour of medieval England, from the mills and farms of a manor house to the lending houses and Inns of Court in London.

In Chaucer's People, we meet again the motley crew of pilgrims on the road to Canterbury. Drawing on a range of historical records such as the Magna Carta, The Book of Margery Kempe, and Cookery in English, Picard puts Chaucer's characters into historical context and mines them for insights into what people ate, wore, read, and thought in the Middle Ages. What can the Miller, "big . . . of brawn and eke of bones" tell us about farming in 14th-century England? What do we learn of medieval diets and cooking methods from the Cook? With boundless curiosity and wit, Picard re-creates the religious, political, and financial institutions and customs that gave order to these lives.

©2017 Liza Picard (P)2019 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Great Book

I read Mortimer’s book on 14th century England and was concerned this would overlap. There was some but not as much as you’d think.

A delight

Lisa Picard has made a career out of writing histories of what life was like in various periods. Chaucer’s People seems to be her take on life in medieval England. It bears some comparison, at least as far as intent is concerned, with Ian Mortimer’s book The Time Traveler’s Guide to Medieval England. Picard doesn’t cover the details of city living in as much detail, but she gives a wealth of information about people.

Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales provides the basic structure. Chaucer included travelers from all classes, and so Picard takes each one in turn, refers to Chaucer’s description, and then teases out details that draw on the larger history of the time. For example, the Wife of Bath — her first subject — provides a springboard for looking at the wool trade, the craft of weaving, and the elaborate medieval system of pilgrimages and indulgences. The Cook provides an excuse for including an extensive set of mouth-watering recipes; the Yeoman for the role England’s murderous longbow archers played in the battles in France. The Shipman includes a survey of medieval geography and the travels of Marco Polo and John Mandeville.

It’s a delightful book. Liza Picard has done the research, but she hasn’t lost her sense of humor. And Jennifer Dixon’s sparkling narration strikes exactly the right note.

A delight

I am listening to this audiobook again. Perfect delivery of history in a light hearted yet profound fashion.

Interesting

Interesting explanation of chaucers characters. A lot of information that I wish I had when I taught Canterbury Tales

so many insights

I have read all the Brother Cadfael books, have been in a medieval reenactment society and have cookbooks translating medieval recipes, but this book ties so many things together for me. it is also a great and more approachable great companion book to "A Distant Mirror ' , Barbara Tuckman' s very scholarly account of the 14th century

Fun, funny and interesting throughout.

If you want history that feels more real and less like historians circle jerking the egos of ghoulish men who aren’t even around to pat them on the head, I suggest reading history as interpreted by women. As it says in the title, it will almost invariably be funnier, more fun and more complete in its conveyance of an accurate picture than their counterparts.

great history

loved it, that's all I loved it! now I have to add filler to leave a review!!

Unexpected content

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but not a continuous entertaining stream of medieval anecdotes. Chaucer's characters and everything around them are described.

Interesting way to look at the characters

The author does an incredible amount of research for this book! I don’t always agree with the conclusions, but it was great to get another perspective on people in Chaucer’s day.

Probably would not listen to again, but might find a print copy to revisit

Modern vs Medieval

Not recommeneded. While the book does provide a context to the historical tales and certain sections such on Medieval dining and clothing are well written, this is spoilt by the author's modernism. She drips with 21st Century condescening putdowns to those who attrach her ire for failing to living up to present day moral standards. Her deconstuction of the Knight's tale seems to be more driven by spite rather than scholarship.
Better to lister to a more neutral offering such as Prof Dorsey Armstrong's Great Course lectures on the period.