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LECTURE 11
GEOFFREY CHAUCER (1343 – 1400)
Geoffrey Chaucer was born in 1343, in London, in the prosperous merchant family. He was an English poet, author, a philosopher and astronomer. He was considered the father of English literature. He died in 1400 in London. He was the first writer who was buried in Westminster Abbey.
In 1357, Chaucer became a public servant to Countess Elizabeth of Ulster, for which he was paid a small stipend – enough to pay for his food and clothing. In 1359, young Chaucer went off to fight in Hundred Years War and was captured for ransom. King Edward III helped to pay his ransom. After his release, Chaucer joined the Royal Service and travelled throughout France, Spain and Italy on diplomatic missions.
Literary critics divide Chaucer’s literary career into three major periods: the French, the Italian and the English.
French period lasted until 1372. During this time Chaucer translated the “Roman de la Rose”, a French poem written during 1200s. He also wrote his “Book of Duchess”, a poem that shared much with contemporary French poetry of the time.
After a journey to Italy in 1372 started Italian period and lasted from 1372 to 1385. The trip introduced him to the works of Italian writers, such as Boccaccio, Dante and Petrarch. At the end of this period he wrote his longest poem, “Trollus and Criseide”.
During the final period of Chaucer’s career that was called as the English period, he wrote “The Canterbury Tales”.
English poet Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the unfinished work, the Canterbury Tales. It is considered one of the greatest poetic works in English.
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales provides a vivid description of life in the Middle Ages by describing in detail characters from every level of medieval society. His works proved revolutionary for their time and they survived for nearly 700 years.
THE CANTERBURY TALES
Chaucer’s Canterbury tales are unique because they are more than a collection of unrelated stories: he produces a unified work through two techniques. First, he uses a framework, a narrative that contains another narrative. Second, he provides links, conversations among the different pilgrims between the stories to tie the stories together.
The first component of framework is “The General Prologue” which introduces characters who tell the stories and who continue to function as characters in the links between tales.

The Canterbury Tales, written in combination of verse and prose, tells the story of 30 pilgrims walking from Southwark to Canterbury. On the way the travellers told stories to win a meal at Tabard Inn. The stories are often sharp and funny. For example, The Knight’s Tale, The Miller’s Tale, The Wife of Bath’s Tale and so on.

The Canterbury Tales is a collection of 24 stories, told as the pilgrims make their journey to Canterbury Cathedral.