Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400)

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) is a person.

• AKA: Father of English Literature, Father of English Poetry.
• Context:
  • It can range from being a Civil Servant to being a Literary Pioneer, depending on the career phase.
  • It can range from being a Court Poet to being a National Poet, based on literary influence.
  • It can range from being a Bureaucratic Official to being a Cultural Icon, reflecting historical impact.
  • ...
  • It can typically create Canterbury Tales Narrative through middle english verse.
  • It can typically combine religious themes with secular storytelling.
  • It can typically blend social satire with moral lessons.
  • It can typically integrate medieval culture with literary innovation.
  • ...
  • It can often serve as royal courtier through diplomatic missions.
  • It can often manage customs office through administrative dutys.
  • It can often compose court poetry through patronage systems.
  • ...
  • It can develop Literary Works, such as:
    • Major Works:
      • The Canterbury Tales, which revolutionized english storytelling.
      • Troilus and Criseyde, which elevated courtly romance.
      • The Book of the Duchess, which honored royal patronage.
    • Scientific Works:
      • A Treatise on the Astrolabe, which explained astronomical instruments.
    • Translation Works:
      • Roman de la Rose, which adapted french literature.
      • Boethius works, which translated classical philosophy.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Chaucer Career Phases, such as:
    • Early Careers, such as:
      • Royal Page in Prince Lionel household.
      • Military Service during Hundred Years War.
    • Middle Careers, such as:
      • Customs Controller at Port of London.
      • Diplomatic Missions to Italy and France.
    • Late Careers, such as:
      • Clerk of King's Works overseeing royal construction.
      • Member of Parliament representing Kent.
  • Chaucer Literary Innovations, such as:
    • Vernacular Writings, such as:
      • Using middle english for serious literature.
      • Creating english vocabulary through word invention.
    • Narrative Techniques, such as:
      • Frame narrative in Canterbury Tales.
      • Character development through dramatic monologue.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • John Gower, who primarily wrote in latin and anglo-norman french.
  • William Langland, who focused on religious allegory rather than secular narrative.
  • John Lydgate, who followed rather than pioneered english literary tradition.
• See: Thomas Hoccleve, London, Westminster Abbey, Bureaucrat, England in The Late Middle Ages, Philippa Roet, Thomas Chaucer, Middle English, Middle English Literature, Epic Poem, Lyric Poem, Short Story.

---

---

References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Chaucer Retrieved:2024-12-11.
  • Geoffrey Chaucer (; – 25 October 1400) was an English poet, author, and civil servant best known for The Canterbury Tales. He has been called the "father of English literature", or, alternatively, the "father of English poetry". He was the first writer to be buried in what has since come to be called Poets' Corner, in Westminster Abbey. Chaucer also gained fame as a philosopher and astronomer, composing the scientific A Treatise on the Astrolabe for his 10-year-old son, Lewis. He maintained a career in the civil service as a bureaucrat, courtier, diplomat, and member of parliament. Among Chaucer's many other works are The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde. He is seen as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English when the dominant literary languages in England were still Anglo-Norman French and Latin. Chaucer's contemporary Thomas Hoccleve hailed him as "" (i.e., the first one capable of finding poetic matter in English). Almost two thousand English words are first attested to in Chaucerian manuscripts.

---