Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

Life:   Geoffrey Chucer was an English Poet and Author. Born: London, United Kingdom. Died: 25 October 1400.Considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages, He was the first writer to be buried in  since come to be called poet's corner, in Westminster Abbey. Management of public affairs as courtier, diplomat, and civil servant. In that career he was trusted and aided by three successive kings- Edward 3,Richard 2, and Henry 4.

Major Work:

• 1.The Canterbury Tales

• 2.Knight's Tale

• 3.The book of the Duchess

• 4.House of fame

Literary works:

Chaucer wrote in a range of poetic forms and genres. He composed dream vision such as The Book of the Duchess, The Legend of Good Woman and the parliament of fowls, as well as Troilus and Criseyde -the great exploration of love and loss set during the Trojan War. He also produced philosophical and scientific work -s. He translated the consolation and philosophy, by the Roman Senator and philosopher Boethius. (c 480-524ce), and he wrote a treatise- a kind of how -to guide on the astrolabe, which was an astronomical device. 

These works show the range of his skill, but perhaps none have the scale and impressiveness of The Canterbury Tales - an ambitious collection of stories in a range of poetic (and in one case, prose) froms. It imagine a group of 31 pilgrims who meet while travelling to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. To pass the time, they decide to tell two tales to the assembled company on the journey there and the journey home. This extraordinary work, which presents  a portrait of late medieval Britain with humor and tragedy, was left unfinished when Chaucer died in 1400,but it -along with much of his other verse-is still celebrated as some  of the greatest work in the English Language. 

The Canterbury Tales by

Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1345-1400) was enormously popular in medieval England, with over 90 copies in existence from the 1400s.

It's popularity may be due to the fact that the tales were written in Middle English, a language that developed after the Norman invasion, after which those in power would have spoken French. Continuous publication of The Canterbury Tales since Chaucer's death, and the inspiration it has provided for other writers and artists, are testimony to the enduring appeal of his character and their stories:proof that people's hopes and fears- and the English sense of humor-are little changed by six centuries of history. 

What is The Canterbury Tales about? 

Chaucer's long poem follows the journey of a group of pilgrims, 31 including Chaucer himself, from the Tabard Inn in Southwark to St Thomas a Becket's shrine at Canterbury Cathedral. The host at the inn suggests each pilgrim tell two tales on the way out and two on the way home to help while away their time on the road. The best storyteller is to be rewarded with a free supper on their return. 

This literary device gives Chaucer the opportunity to paint a series of vivid word portraits of a cross- section of his society, from a knight and prioress, to a carpenter and cook;

a much- married wife of Bath, to a bawdy miller-an occupation regarding in Chaucer's day as shifty and dishonest. 

Chaucer mixes satire and realism in lively characterisation of pilgrims. The tone of their tales ranges from pious to comic, with humor veering between erudite wit and good honest vulgarity. Taken together, the tales offer a fascinating insight into  English life during the late 14th century. 

Chaucer's original plan was for over 100 stories, but only 24 were completed, some of which had already been written for earlier work -s. Their order varies in different surviving copies, the Hengwrt manuscript being valued most for its accuracy.