Assignment

The Age of Chaucer

Subject : Classics in English Poetry
Date : 26-02-2019
Department of English
Gomal University D.I.Khan

Submitted by Asad Khan

Roll No : 01
First Semester
M.A. English
(Session 2018-2020)
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Introduction
Geoffrey Chaucer had a prodigious impact on the literature
of English language. He was born in an age when French, being the
language of aristocracy, dominated the country whereas English was
nothing but the language of peasants and common folk. Chaucer
elevated the status of English by establishing it as a literary
language. Today he is revered as one of the greatest poets in English
literature. The age during which Chaucer lived is called the Age of
Chaucer.

Background to the Age of Chaucer

In 1066 Normans conquered England after winning the Battle
of Hastings. The Normans came from Normandy, a region in France.
They spoke French and were led by William the Conqueror who
became the first Norman King of England. After the Norman
Conquest English started to decline and the literature written in
English became scarce. During the Age of Chaucer English regained
its lost stature and once again assumed its towering position.

The life of Geoffrey Chaucer (1340 - 1400)

Early life
Chaucer was born sometime between 1340 and 1343. He
was the son of John Chaucer, a London vintner, and Agnes. Though
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his parents were not a part of the nobility, they had considerable
wealth and influence in the court. It was due to this influence that
they managed to place their son in the household of the wife of
Prince Lionel, Duke of Clarence, son of King Edward III. He served
as a page in her household. This was an important position as it
guaranteed him a bright future either as a Knight or as a holder of
other prestigious offices. During this time Chaucer learned the
customs of the upper classes. He also made connections with many
influential people.

Military Career
In 1359 Edward III, King of England, invaded France.
Chaucer traveled with Prince Lionel as a part of the English army.
He was captured in 1360. King Edward III himself paid sixteen
pounds for his ransom after which Chaucer was released.

Later Life
After military service, Chaucer's life is uncertain. He seems
to have visited a lot of cities and countries as a messenger and a
diplomat. Around 1366 Chaucer married Philippa de Roet. It is
uncertain how many children they had. During his career Chaucer
served as a courtier, a diplomat and a civil servant as well as
working for the king from 1389 to 1391 as Clerk of the King's
Works. Chaucer served three kings, Edward III, Richard II, and
Henry IV. He died of unknown causes on 25 October 1400.
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Poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer

Chaucer is widely praised for his originality in The

Canterbury Tales. But his earlier poetry was to a great extent
unoriginal. Like all the medieval writers Chaucer borrowed from
other poets, and translated their works. His poetry can be divided
into three periods :

1. French Period (? - 1372)

During this period Chaucer was influenced by the French
literature. This period lasted until 1372. During this time Chaucer
translated Roman de la Rosa (“The Romance of the Rose”), a French
poem written during the 1200s. He also wrote The Book of Duchess,
an elegiac poem, that lamented the death of Blanche of Lancaster,
wife of John of Gaunt. His other books that belong to this period are
The Parliament of Fowles, The Complaint unto Pity, The Complaint
of Mars, Anelida and Arcite and The ABC.

2. Italian Period (1372 – 1385 or 1386)

Chaucer went to Italy in 1372 on a diplomatic mission.
His stay in Italy lasted only for a few weeks. But during these few
weeks Chaucer vastly improved his knowledge of the Italian
literature. He probably read the Divine Comedy of Dante and the
Teseida and Filostrato of Boccaccio. The influence of these books is
vivid in the poetry that he wrote for the next fourteen years. During
this period he wrote Troilus and Criseyde, The House of Fame and
The Legend of Good Women.
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Boccaccio's Filostrato was the inspiration for Chaucer's

Troilus and Criseyde. It is an epic poem which tells the love story of
Troilus, a Trojan prince, and a lady called Criseyde.

The House of Fame consists of more than two thousand

lines. It takes the form of a dream vision. It was composed in
octosyllabic couplets.

The Legend of Good Women tells nineteen tales of

famous women of antiquity. It was composed in heroic couplets.

3. English Period (1385 - 1400)

During the final period of Chaucer's career, which is
commonly referred to as the English period, he wrote his most
famous work The Canterbury Tales. In this masterpiece of English
literature Chaucer tells the story of a group of disparate pilgrims as
they travel to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket. Chaucer wrote The
Canterbury Tales over the course of about thirteen years, from 1387
until his death in 1400. Chaucer died before he could complete it.

Features of Chaucer's Poetry

1. Chaucer as a Versatile Genius

Geoffrey Chaucer was an adept poet. He was a pioneer in
many aspects of poetry. He looked at the world in a tolerant and
amusing manner. He was a story-teller, a novelist, a humorist, a
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realist and a descriptive poet.

2. Chaucer the Story-teller

Chaucer is a strong story-teller. He tells fascinating and

marvelous stories that enthrall the attention of the reader. He
includes the themes of adventure, chivalry, love, hate, war and
revenge in his poems. He adds flesh and blood to his characters and
paints vivid, colorful and well-constructed pictures of his society. All
of these features make him a proficient story-teller.

3. Chaucer as a Novelist and a Dramatist

Many critics have expressed the view that Chaucer
had in him the distinct characteristics of a novelist and a dramatist.
Chaucer's masterly art of storytelling, his excellent art of
characterization, his skillful handling of dialogue and action present
him as a dramatist and a novelist.

4. Chaucer the Descriptive Poet

Poets before Chaucer delineated dull pictures of
objects and human beings. Their descriptions lacked realism and
were based on idealized nature of things. Chaucer refuses to follow
their example. He paints realistic pictures and doesn't omit even the
minute details. In Canterbury Tales he brilliantly describes, the dress,
the weapons, the manners, the likes and dislikes and even the warts
and pimples of of his pilgrims. There is no doubt that his art of
description is truly remarkable.
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5. Chaucer the Narrative Poet

The greatness of Chaucer's poetry rests on his power
as a narrator. Chaucer's narrative method is characterized by straight
forwardness, directness and simplicity. He remains unbiased
throughout his poems and presents all the events objectively.

Characteristics of the Age of Chaucer

1. Emergence of the standard English Language

Before Chaucer, the English language was fragmented
into a number of different dialects. Chaucer, through his poetry,
helped establish the East Midland dialect as the standard dialect of
English language. This helped in the advancement of the English
language.

2. Age of Germination
Even though there were no dramas and novels during the
Age of Chaucer, his poetry helped in the germination of these genres
in the succeeding Elizabethan age. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales had a
huge influence on the dramatists and the novelists that followed him.

3. Curiosity and Criticism

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This age is known for its criticism of the social norms and
the Church. During this period the corruption and hypocrisy of the
clergy and their control over the worldly affairs of men was
challenged. This criticism is evident in Chaucer's The Canterbury
Tales.

Conclusion

The Age of Chaucer was an extraordinary period in the history of

English literature. Geoffrey Chaucer symbolizes the Middle Ages.
He came early under the influence of the French dream allegory
especially the extremely popular Roman de la Rose. Italy offered
him the examples of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. He also focused
to a large extent on the contemporary English society and its
manners. He set the stage for the English renaissance and introduced
new methods in the literature. For all his contributions he is often,
justly, called the “father of the English literature”.

The End