 Born: c  Died: 1400  Birthplace: London, England  Best known as: The author of The Canterbury Tales

 The details of Chaucer's own life are not especially clear, but he spent many years in the royal service, as an esquire to King Edward III and later in jobs like controller of customs and clerk of the king's works.  He visited Italy on diplomatic missions and was influenced by the works of the writers Dante and Boccaccio.  Chaucer was among the first to use English to create a great work of poetry, in an age when courtly languages like Latin and French were typically favored for poetry and stories.

 poetic collection of stories widely regarded as the beginning of English literature  The stories, by turns bawdy, comical and pious, are told by a group of travelers entertaining themselves while making a pilgrimage to Canterbury, England.  Chaucer himself is among the pilgrims in the tales, which he wrote from around 1387 to 1400.

 The Host of the Tabard proposes that the pilgrims pass the time on the journey by telling stories; he offers to accompany the group, judge the best story, and award the winner a meal, paid by all, when the group returns to his inn.  The pilgrims agree and begin telling tales, each of which reflects the interests and personality of the teller.  the Knight recounts a tale of chivalry; the Nun's Priest and the Pardoner tell cautionary tales; and the Wife of Bath, the Clerk, and the Franklin tell romantic tales of love and marriage.

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