Geoffrey Chaucer

Most scholars single out Geoffrey Chaucer (ca 1343, London — 1400, London) as the first great English poet who showed the artistic power of the English language to its highest degree. Most scholars single out Geoffrey Chaucer (ca 1343, London — 1400, London) as the first great English poet. For at least four generations Chaucer's ancestors were middle-class people closely connected with the court. Chaucer's name first appeared in the records of 1357, and the name Chaucer comes from the French word chaussier, meaning a maker of boots and shoes, and the family indeed prospered from leather and wine.

Chaucer's life was very busy. By 1359, Chaucer was with King Edward Ill's army in France, and when he was taken prisoner there, the King himself shared in his ransom. In about 1366, he married the Queen's lady-in-waiting. For some time Chaucer was a controller of customs for London, and later was responsible for the maintenance of the Tower of London and Westminster Palace. Chaucer undertook several diplomatic missions to France, Spain, Italy.

Chaucer's death caught him at work on his poetry. He was the first to be buried in the famous Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey in London.

Chaucer translated the French Romaunt of the Rose presenting the code of chivalry. His first original work was the elegy, The Book of the Duchess inspired by his journeys to Italy where he got first-hand acquaintance with Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio. His other dream poems, The House of Fame and The Parliament of Fowles, followed soon, where he began his artful use of a first-person narrator. Chaucer translated The Consolation of Philosophy by the Roman philosopher Boethius, and adapted religious, historical, and philosophical works. He also wrote Troilus and Criseyde, a long narrative poem of a love story during the Trojan War.

Another long poem of his is one of the glories in English literature — The Canterbury Tales. Here Chaucer fully displayed his powerful use of language, his unique style. Chaucer also wrote small poems and letters in verse. His original prose work is Treatise on the Astrolabe.

For the Renaissance, Chaucer was the English Homer. Edmund Spenser referred to him as Master. Many of William Shakespeare's plays show close ties to Chaucer's comic spirit. John Dryden, who updated some of The Canterbury Tales, named Chaucer the father of English poetry. In 1868, the Chaucer Society was founded in England, which led to the first reliable editions of his works. Chaucer's reputation submits only to that of Shakespeare, and he will always be loved for his wit, wisdom and humanity.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-04