Geoffrey Chaucer(c – 1400)

LIFE He was born in London. He is considered the greatest poet of the Middle English period. He's well-known for The Canterbury Tales. London became the center of English literature with Chaucer. His father was a wine merchant and he was providing wine for the king (Edward III). While still in his teens Geoffrey became a page in the service of one of the king's daughters-in-law. In 1359 he was in the campaign in France and was taken prisoner. But the king saved the ransom and saved his life. After his release he was transferred to the king's own service and he held important public positions. He was often sent to the Continent - to France and Italy - on diplomatic missions; and for eleven years he was in charge of the London customs. In 1386 he was a member of Parliament. He passed away in 1400 and he was buried in Westminster Abbey, becoming the first to occupy what is now called Poet's Corner. Some of the most famous to lie in Poet’s Corner include the poets John Dryden, Tennyson, Robert Browning and John Masefield. Many writers, including William Camden, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy are also buried here.

Chaucer's literary activity is often divided into three periods. 1. French Period, 2. Italian period, and 3. English Period Major works Translation of Roman de la Rose, possibly extant as The Romaunt of the Rose The Book of the Duchess The House of Fame Anelida and Arcite Parlement of Foules Translation of Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy as Boece Troilus and Criseyde The Legend of Good Women The Canterbury Tales A Treatise on the Astrolabe

His Literary Style His works are realistic. He demonstrates the joy of life in his works. He humorously criticizes the problems of his period. He does not use assonance, alliteration or allegory as his contemporaries did. Rhyme royal (or Rime royal) is a rhyming stanza form that was introduced into English poetry by Geoffrey Chaucer. The rhyme royal stanza consists of seven lines. The rhyme scheme is a- b-a-b-b-c-c. He was highly influenced by Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. He wrote his works in English.

The Canterbury Tales The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 26 stories written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer. The poem introduces a group of pilgrims (29) from London to the shrine of St. Thomas à Becket at Canterbury. Chaucer then tells us all about the group he's joined: who they are, what their station in life is, even what they're wearing. Chaucer's description of each character tells us something about the character's personality. We also learn something more about the character based on the story he or she tells. The pilgrims' tales include a variety of medieval genres from the humorous fabliau to the serious homily, and they vividly indicate medieval attitudes and customs in such areas as love, marriage, and religion The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio contains more parallels to the Canterbury Tales than any other work.

Themes 1.The Pervasiveness of Courtly Love (The knight’s son squire is an example for it). 2.The Importance of Company (Many of Chaucer’s characters end their stories by wishing the rest of the “compaignye,” or company, well. ) 3.The Corruption of the Church (The prioress, the monk, the friar, and the pardoner are negatively mentioned. The parson is positively mentioned).

Motifs 1. Romance (the Knight’s Tale,The Miller’s Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Tale). 2. Fabliau Fabliau, plural fabliaux, a short metrical tale made popular in medieval France by professional storytellers. Fabliaux were characterized by vivid detail and realistic observation and were usually comic, coarse, and often cynical, especially in their treatment of women.

Symbols 1.Springtime: The Canterbury Tales opens in April, at the height of spring. The birds are chirping, the flowers blossoming, and people long in their hearts to go on pilgrimages, which combine travel, vacation, and spiritual renewal. The springtime symbolizes rebirth and fresh beginnings, and is thus appropriate for the beginning of Chaucer’s text. 2.Clothing 3.Physiognomy: Physiognomy was a science that judged a person’s temperament and character based on his or her anatomy.