The Charles Translation Project

I made this dreamwidth thing a while back after the great adult content ban scare on Tumblr and I honestly don't know what to do with it, or how to use it, so I might as well use it for updates and musings on a major project I'm working on. This is my last semester of undergrad and besides classes on Shakespeare, Irish lit, and a thesis on medieval heresy, I have an honors project, and I'm still figuring out what I'm doing. I've been translating the text of Harley Ms. 682, the English poetry of Charles d'Orleans from Middle English (ME) to Present Day English (PDE), using the 1994 edition by Mary-Jo Arn. While there have been some editions, there haven't been any full translations, and certainly nothing easily accessible by casual readers and people just starting out.

My goal is this: To produce a PDE translation of this text, while keeping as faithful as possible to the original as I can while retaining the rhyming scheme. Along with it will be words that aren't easily translated glossed to the side, with footnotes on more complicated text or things requiring historical background. I want this translation to be as easily accessible by anyone who's interested-- it should be available Barnes & Noble. I know how intimidating medieval studies can be, especially if you don't know where to start or just have a casual interest and don't want to have to go deep into something really specialized.

I'll be using this space for various updates and thoughts on Charles and the project, so if anyone reads this, cool. If not, I have a journal of the progress I've made.