TextFenix :: Early modern classics translated for students and general readers

Early Modern classics

Rephrased for students and general readers to provide the optimal reading experience and enjoyment

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New titles and classic authors will be added as they become available. Read them for pure enjoyment and get a true grasp of what the author intended without the distraction of notes and glossaries. Feel the author’s rhythm and...

connect with Early Modern classics like never before.

Great for advanced international learners of the English language

Read at a normal reading speed

These renderings are perfect for students who are trying to learn the English language and want to experience classic writings without archaic language reading barriers.

Which text is easier to read?

as originally published...

Farewell thou art too deare for my possessing,
And like enough thou knowst thy estimate,
The Charter of thy worth gives thee releasing:
My bonds in thee are all determinate.

from Sonnett LXXXVII
Shakespeare's Sonnets, 1609

or as recently published...

Goodbye! You cost too much to keep, you know!
I’m sure that you have been calculating
what you’d be worth if I now let you go:
my claims on you are no longer binding.

from Sonnet 87,
Modern Language Edition

If the recently published version stands out as being easier to understand, then you will enjoy these modern language editions.

E-books available in epub, mobi or amz3 formats.

Note that buyers using an Apple iOS device may need an app that can open ZIPped folders.

Models of Virtue: Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen Volume 1 — Models of Virtue: *Edmund Spenser's* The Faerie Queene Volume 1

Models of Virtue: Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen Volume 2 — Models of Virtue: *Edmund Spenser's* The Faerie Queene Volume 2

Models of Virtue: Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queen Volume 3 — Models of Virtue: *Edmund Spenser's* The Faerie Queene Volume 3

Unrequited Love: Sir Philip Sidney's Astrophil and Stella — Unrequited Love: *Sir Philip Sidney’s* Astrophil and Stella

Defiant Love: Lady Mary Wroth's Pamphilia, to Amphilanthus — Defiant Love: *Lady Mary Wroth’s* Pamphilia, to Amphilanthus

The Bridegroom Cometh: Edmund Spenser's Amoretti and Epithalamion — The Bridegroom Cometh: *Edmund Spenser’s* Amoretti and Epithalamion

A Monument to Love: William Shakespeare's Sonnets and A Lover's Complaint — A Monument to Love: *William Shakespeare’s* Sonnets and a Lover’s Complaint

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Dirk Jol, Author/Editor

Modern renderings by Dirk Jol

Educator and Editor

Dirk Jol is a retired teacher who has spent his life immersed in the beauty of the poetry and prose of the Renaissance. His fascination with the art of the time period has enabled him to put fresh meaning into the words, allowing him to create renderings which maintain their flow and elegance, but with a slightly more modern language feel.

Dirk’s love of literature and his work in education were combined. He developed a unique way of interpreting early modern writings for students and other academics.

To read more about Dirk Jol, go to the About page.