DICTIONARIES
[Cross-references included at the bottom of the page]
48. DAVIS, NORMAN; GRAY, DOUGLAS; INGHAM, PATRICIA; and WALLACE- HADRALL, ANNE. A Chaucer Glossary. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1979, 205 pp.
A glossary of Chaucer's words and phrases unfamiliar to modern readers, providing definitions, etymologies, parts of speech, and selective references to Chaucer's use. The word-list is drawn from the Tatlock- Kennedy concordance (entry 53), covering Chaucer's corpus and Romaunce of the Rose, fragment A, but not including Equatorie of the Planet and some lyrics. The definitions are succinct, often a single word or phrase, and occasional quotations illustrate idiomatic, phrasal, or metaphoric usage. Appends a short list of person and place names.
49. DILLON, BERT. A Chaucer Dictionary: Proper Names and Allusions, Excluding Place Names. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1974, 283 pp.
Alphabetically catalogs proper names, references, and allusions in Chaucer's corpus (excluding Equatorie of the Planets), identifying them with short descriptions, indicating major critical discussions, and locating Chaucer's use of them by line numbers. Complements Magoun's Gazetteer (entry 50). A clear system of abbreviation identifies the nature of Chaucer's references (direct or indirect) and their sources (e.g., Biblical chapter and verse or classical author and text). Entries for passing references offer simple identification and location, while those for seminal sources like Boccaccio's works or Roman de la rose include line-by-line or section-by-section analysis, comprising an index to source study as well as a dictionary.
50. MAGOUN, FRANCIS P., Jr. A Chaucer Gazeteer. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961, 173 pp.
Alphabetically lists "all geographical names and names (uncapitalized) of geographical origin or with geographical connections" in the works of Chaucer (except Equatorie of the Planets), identifying apparent provenance, etymology, and literary tradition. Includes indirect references in which Chaucer does not use the actual name. Citations range from simple identifications to discursive explanations.
51. ROSS, THOMAS. Chaucer's Bawdy. New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., 1972, 256 pp.
An alphabetical dictionary of Chaucerian references to sex and scatology, including punning terms, direct references, and allusions. Individual entries explain the terms, cite scholarly authorities and critical interpretations, and describe the meaning and use of the terms in Chaucer's works. The "Introduction" discusses Chaucer's risque language and emphasizes the comic value of Chaucer's bawdiness. Includes fifteen illustrations and a line-index to bawdry in Chaucer's works.
52. SCOTT, A.F. Who's Who in Chaucer. New York: Taplinger Publishing Co., 1974, 145 pp.
A dictionary of the people and animals referred to in Chaucer's major works, divided into two parts: 1) Canterbury Tales and 2) other major works. Individual entries identify historical figures and fictional characters in Chaucer's plots and allusions.
53. TATLOCK, JOHN S.P. and KENNEDY, ARTHUR G. Concordance to the Complete Works of Chaucer and to the "Romaunt of the Rose". 1927. Reprint. Gloucester, Mass.: Peter Smith, 1963, 1123 pp.
Alphabetical list of all but the most common words (e.g., and, but, his, etc.) used in Chaucer's works (except Equatorie of the Planets) and the Romaunt of the Rose. Individual entries include every occurence of a word in the corpus, quotation of the whole line for each instance, and citation of line numbers. Some variant spellings included. Although based on the outdated "Globe" edition of Chaucer's works, edited by Alfred Pollard and others (Macmillan & Co., 1913), this is the standard concordance to Chaucer's works.