An Introduction to Geoffery Chaucer

If it's been a while since you visited this blog, it may be a good idea to take another look at my last post. For a Marxist view of Geoffery Chaucer's work, it is essential to interpret it against the background of the Italian Renaissance.

Here's a very brief recap:
1) Aristocracy/nobility declined
2) Trade flourished throughout Europe
3) An educated middle class (bourgeois) arose
4) Feudal system ended with the Peasant's revolt (1381)
5) Spirit of 'humanism' prevailed through Europe
6) Natural and man-made calamities occoured
7) Labour was short and resources surplus
8) Faith in the Roman Catholic Church and even the Bible
7) Printing Press of Venice provided easier access to literature
8) Classical authors were re-read and reinterpreted
9) The new ideas of the Renaissance were widely accepted
10) Even the the ruling classes and aristocracy adopted the new ideals


Geoffery Chaucer (1343 - 25 Oct 1400) is often called the father of English Literature. He broke a lot of rules by choosing to write in English rather than French, which was, till the 14th century, the official language of poetry. Chaucer was the first poet to establish the legitimacy of vernacular English as a language of poetry. In this note, my purpose will to give you a brief overview of his life and times, highlighting his contribution to English Literature, especially through his best known work 'The Canterbury Tales'.


Records show that Chaucer was born in 1343 to a family of merchants. Hence, he belonged to the rising middle-class. He began his career as a page and went on to become a courtier, diplomat and civil servant. Chaucer was first buried in Westminster Abbey in London (1399). In 1556, his remains were moved and he became the first writer to have a tomb in the area now known as Poet's corner.


D.S. Brewer describes Chaucer thus:

"He was the new man, the literate layman who was not a clerk, the courtier who was not a knight; he was not poor (like Langland) but not rich; a salaried man, not landed gentry (like Gower); he was not even a merchant like his father and grandfather"


Chaucer's magnum opus is The Canterbury Tales, which is a collection of stories told by fictional pilgrims on the way to the Canterbury Cathedral. It is unfortunate that Chaucer was unable to complete this work. However, it's importance for students of literature is undeniable. The characters come from different social classes and are renowned for their naturalism. It is absolutely marvelous how well he was able to recreate the different speech and mannerisms of characters based on their socio-cultural background. It is a skill authors till date attempt to emulate, though not all succeed. As a poet, satirist and story teller, Chaucer proved to be a source of tremendous influence and inspiration for generations.


Another point worthy of note, is that Chaucer's character, the Wife of Bath in The Canterbury Tales, is perhaps the first resonance of the modern independent woman. She works, she thinks and she talks. She looks men in the eye, and breaks all their rules and preconceived notions. She is a wilful strong woman who lives on her own terms. Yet, she remains a character in the hands of a male author of the 14th century. When I discuss The Canterbury Tales as a part of British Poetry, I'd highlight both feminist and anti-feminist arguments in regards to this character.


Chaucer is famous for his innovation of the metrical scheme. He wrote in continental accentual-syllabic meter, invented the rhyme royal and was one of the first English poets to use the five-stress line (mostly in rhyming couplets, which became one of the standard poetic forms in English). His language is difficult to understand because the great vowel shift did not occour till after his death. However, he used several common English words and phrases that had never before been seen fit for poetry. He contributed to the development and standardization of Middle English.


I shall elaborate on the terms used in the last paragraph when I begin my section on British Poetry. At this time, it is enough to be able to grasp how significant Geoffery Chaucer and The Caterbury Tales are to English Literature.


Chronological list of Chaucer's long works:

• Translation of Roman de la Rose (The Romance 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
• Treatise on the Astrolabe

He also wrote several short poems, namely:

• An ABC
• Chaucers Wordes Unto Adam, His Owne Scriveyn
• The Complaint Unto Pity
• The Complaint of Chaucer to his Purse
• The Complaint of Mars
• The Complaint of Venus
• A Complaint to His Lady
• The Former Age
• Fortune
• Gentilesse
• Lak of Steadfastnesse
• Lenvoy de Chaucer a Scogan
• Lenvoy de Chaucer a Bukton
• Proverbs
• To Rosemounde
• Truth
• Womanly Noblesse

Note: This is only an introduction to this poet. I will explore his work, The Canterbury Tales, in detail when I begin the section on British Poetry.