You know you have chosen the wrong selection of Chaucer to illustrate the differences between modern english and 'old' or 'middle' english - when your 12 year old looks at you innocently only a couple of lines in and asks if they're pronouncing the word, "arse" correctly.
i always *always* pre read. i have NO idea how this particular excerpt about a 'nest of friars in the arse of the devil' escaped that rule... As it was - they had already begun to read it by the time i snatched it from her hand and bit my cheeks as i read silently to keep from laughing out loud. And, so - maybe in my unpreparedness, i made a bad choice, but when they asked, i let them continue - finishing the piece as it's antiquity heightened it's hilarity and the table exploded in fits of giggles.
In the end, i'm glad this funny little snippet somehow escaped my usual pre-reading. It taught my howling crew that despite the differences in our time period and language - humour remains the same.
Thanks, Chaucer, molls is still snickering.
4 comments:
So glad you are back to blogging. You always start my day on a positive note, Paige!
Sounds like yesterday -- Alisdair was having to write info about Nostradamas on a lapbook component and meant to write that he was an astrologer -- only he got one too many "S"es in the word... and was giggling about whether the poor fellow studied bottoms or donkeys... public school was never this much fun!
Saskatchewan Cousin
Now that's funny.
I'm impressed that you manage to pre-read, even if this one escaped your watchful eye...
Hee hee, of course Molls will likely remember it forever and then you can blog again later when she uses this memory in an interesting scenario...ROFL
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