Geoffrey Chaucer and His Age (1343 – 1400)

Historical Background Three main influences: The Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) (with France, for the French throne) The Black Death Renaissance period in Italy

Cultural Background Classical literature Courtly love Religion

Classical literature

Classical literature

Classical literature

Courtly Love

Religion

Chaucer’s Main works The Book of the Duchess (narrative poem in the style of contemporary French poetry) The House of Fame (influence of Dante’s Divine Comedy) Troilus and Criseyde (another narrative poem, a love story based on Boccaccio’s Il Filostrato. Chaucer here does not appear as a dreamer – as in the previous poems – but as a reader, who recounts what he read.) The Legend of Good Women (consists of nine “legends” of women who died as martyrs of love) It was probably during writing these that he got the idea of the Canterbury Tales) The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales Three important types of tales: 1: “storial thyng that toucheth gentillesse”, that is, stories of noble conduct and fine feelings about past heroes and marvels: The Knight’s Tale is the most imp, but to an extent The Franklin’s Tale and The Wife of Bath’s Tale also belong here. (Connected to the romance and courtly romance tradition.) 2: The tales that are connected with the genre of the fabliau. Comic tales of often folk origin, that involve humour, sex. Farcical and fantastic plots, but the people involved are described with accuracy. Well-created human characters. Eg: The Miller, The Reeve, The Cook, The Shipman, The Merchant’s Tale(s). 3: The third type that Chaucer mentions are the “holy tales”: about religious matters. High religious style (that owes a lot to Dante) Eg. The Prioress or The Second Nun’s Tale(s).