Murray McGillivray

Murray MacGillvray is a pioneer in the application of digital technologies to research and teaching in the humanities. One of the early innovators in developing digital forms for scholarly edition...

Geoffrey Chaucer's Book of the Duchess, on CD-ROM
(Second Edition)

Murray McGillivray

The Book of the Duchess is the first of Chaucer's major poems. Scholars are uncertain about the date of composition. Most scholars ascribe the date of composition between 1369 and 1372. Chaucer probably wrote the poem to commemorate the death of Blanche of Lancaster, John of Gaunt's wife. Notes from antiquary John Stowe indicate that the poem was written at John of Gaunt's request.

Chaucer’s Book of the Duchess: A Hypertext Edition, is edited by Murray McGillivray. This CD-ROM uses simple Web-browser technology for a new kind of edition of Chaucer's poem. It includes:
1. a new critical and reading edition with pop-up notes and glossary;
2. photographic-quality images of all manuscript pages;
3. audio files with a full reading of the poem in the original Middle English;
4. text and translation of Chaucer's sources;
5. access to Web site for updates and additional materials
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Bodleian Library in the University of Oxford for providing the rights to use images of the original manuscript pages.

University of Calgary Press