Typographical Error May Solve Chaucer's 'Song of Wade' Mystery
By
keepamovin
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
A new analysis suggests that a tiny typographical error in medieval manuscripts may explain Geoffrey Chaucer's mysterious references to 'The Song of Wade' - a story that has been lost to history. Researchers found that what was previously read as 'Wade' might actually be 'Wade' (with a long 's' that looks like 'f'), potentially resolving a centuries-old literary mystery about Chaucer's works including 'The Canterbury Tales' and 'Troilus and Criseyde'. The discovery comes from examining a 12th-century sermon that contains the only surviving lines attributed to this lost story.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledThe medieval writer made puzzling references to a story called 'The Song of Wade', which has been lost to history
Only a few lines quoted—or perhaps misquoted—in a 12th-century sermon survive
A tiny typographical error may explain a centuries-old mystery about Chaucer's 'Canterbury Tales' and 'Troilus and Criseyde'
What was previously read as 'Wade' might actually be 'Wade' (with a long 's' that looks like 'f')
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