Geoffrey Chaucer : Father of English Literature

Chaucer was a major late medieval writer. He lived at a time when lots of turmoils and transformations were happening in England and Europe. There was a hundred years of war with France between France and England, and this was the time of the Black Death. The bubonic plague ravaged the entire Europe and came to England in 1348. This led to lots of social problems. Thousands of people died, and a peasant revolt broke out.

The peasants wanted a better life, and better living conditions, and they wanted money wages. King Richard II crushed the peasant revolts. This was during the time of Chaucer, but it indeed gave some new importance to ordinary people. At the time Chaucer lived, French and Latin were the important languages. English was not a literary language at all.

French was the language of the aristocracy, and Latin was the language of the episcopacy or the clergy. A lot of poetry was written in French, and prose in Latin, but nothing in English. Chaucer wrote in English. Chaucer lived at a time when vernacular literature was on the rise. Some of his contemporaries also wrote in English. Langland wrote the Vision of Piers Plowman. Gower wrote Confessio Amantis. Wycliffe, John Wycliffe, translated the Bible into English. This was the beginning of the Renaissance.

Chaucer was born in 1340 as the son of a vintner or wine merchant, and he died in 1400 of unknown causes. Chaucer was a man who started small but he grew big. He studied law, became a diplomat, and a very important figure in the court, and married Philippa, who was the sister of John of Gaunt’s wife. John of Gaunt was the most powerful nobleman in England at that time, and John of Gaunt was Chaucer’s patron. Chaucer even brought John of Gaunt into one of his works, the Book of the Duchess, and Chaucer wrote in the most important dialect of the time, the East Midland dialect.

Chaucer’s works

Now let us talk about Chaucer’s works. Chaucer’s works can be divided into three phases. Initially, he was influenced by the French, that is, the French phase. Then he was influenced by Italian, and he next started to write in English. You can say French face, Italian face, and English face, or French face, Middle face, and Italian face, both are correct.

Chaucer lived in the time of three kings, and he was involved in political affairs. He traveled abroad, he was like the head of the PWD department, and he was the head of the king’s works, all these experiences are seen in his works. At the beginning of his career, he must have translated the famous dream allegory, Roman de la Rose.

There were two major genres in Middle English literature, actually in medieval European literature, the dream allegory, and the chivalric romance.

Roman de la Rose is a French dream allegory that Chaucer translated as the Romance of the Rose. Chaucer’s early dream allegory, other than Roman de la Rose, is the Book of the Duchess. Chaucer is seen as a black knight who is perhaps John of Gaunt and is mourning for the death of his wife Blanche. The Book of the Duchess is also called the Dream of Chaucer. Being an early work, this came in the French phase. Then he is supposed to have written a parody of Divine Comedy, that is, the House of Fame.

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims traveling to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket in Canterbury. The tales are diverse and cover a wide range of topics, including romance, morality, religion, and social satire. Chaucer by no means completed the Canterbury Tales, and it stays a work in progress.

Chaucer’s legacy as the father of English literature can not be overstated. He played a pivotal position in the improvement of English as a literary language, and his works have been immensely famous in his time and stay studied and studied nowadays. His impact can be visible in the works of later English writers inclusive of Shakespeare, Milton, and Wordsworth.

In conclusion, Geoffrey Chaucer turned into a towering figure in English literature and a pioneer in the development of the English language as a literary medium. His works are a window into the sector of medieval England and the tumultuous times in which he lived. His impact on English literature and language is immeasurable, and his legacy continues to inspire and impact writers to this day.

 Chaucer’s writing style

Chaucer’s writing style is characterized with the aid of his use of vernacular English, which became a departure from the norm in his time. At that point, Latin turned into the language of the church, authorities, and academia. However, Chaucer selected to jot down in English, which made his works accessible to a broader audience.

 Chaucer’s writing fashion is likewise marked with the aid of his use of humor and satire. He often poked fun at the conventions of medieval society, consisting of the clergy and the Aristocracy. Chaucer’s humor was frequently sharp and witty, and his satire turned into incisive.

 Chaucer is additionally regarded for his use of sensible elements in his works. His descriptions of humans and places have been bright and colorful, bringing the arena of medieval England to life. He also used a variety of poetic paperwork, along with the ballad, the lyric, and the epic.

Chaucer’s Famous Works

 Chaucer’s maximum well-known work is “The Canterbury Tales,” a collection of testimonies advised with the aid of a set of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral. Each of the pilgrims tells a story, and these memories offer a glimpse into medieval life and society.

 Another fantastic painting by Chaucer is “Troilus and Criseyde,” a protracted poem that tells the story of the doomed love affair between the Trojan prince Troilus and the Greek maiden Criseyde. The poem is considered one of the finest works of medieval literature.

 Chaucer additionally wrote “The Book of the Duchess,” a poem that explores the subject matters of grief and loss, and” The House of Fame,” a dream imaginative and prescient that explores the nature of reputation and popularity.

 Conclusion

 In conclusion, Geoffrey Chaucer’s writing fashion became characterized by his use of vernacular English, humor, satire, and realistic detail. His well-known works, along with “The Canterbury Tales,” “Troilus and Criseyde,” “The Book of the Duchess,” and “The House of Fame,” remain studied and appreciated using readers today. Chaucer’s contribution to English literature is enormous, and his impact may be visible in the works of many writers who got here after him.