Geoffrey Chaucer England’s First Great Writer

Chaucer  Among first writers to show English as a respectable literary language  1340?

Befriended by Royals  Born in London  Well-off family, but not noble  Chaucer = shoemaker  Placed in household of Prince Lionel – son of Edward III – he was attendant  Met John of Gaunt…who would later be Chaucer’s patron  Joined army (100 years war v. France) – beginning of his diplomatic missions

Early Inspirations  Diplomatic travels exposed him to French and Italian literature  Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio  Translated famous poems  His first work – The Book of the Duchess – tribute to John of Gaunt’s dead wife

Turbulent Times  Had success with writing, but was mainly a career of politics and diplomacy  Chaucer kept royal favor through Richard II  Appointed knight and became member of Parliament  Various other royal appointments

Turbulent Times continued…  Lots of unrest during Richard II’s reign  Henry Bolingbroke takes throne from Richard and becomes King Henry IV  Chaucer still ok, because Henry was son of John of Gaunt, Chaucer’s bud  Chaucer dies after Henry takes throne

Fruitful Years  Last two decades of Chaucer’s life  Troilus and Cressida  The Canterbury Tales – collection of verse and prose tales of many different kinds  All tales joined, they are told by members of a group of travelers going from London to Canterbury

Uncommon Honor  Buried in Westminster Abbey – an honor for a commoner  This began their famous Poet’s Corner, where others have been buried since

The Shrine of Canterbury  Pilgrims are going to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket.  Becket appointed archbishop of Canterbury by friend Henry II  They fought about the rights of the church and four of Henry’s knights murdered Becket in his own church  Becket later declared a saint