Geoffrey+Chaucer

**Geoffrey Chaucer **


Geoffrey Chaucer was an English poet who lived in late Medieval Times. He wrote many works (the most well-known being //The Canterbury Tales//) which are still widely read today. He has frequently been called the father of English poetry. Chaucer was most likely born in London, England around 1345. When he was an adolescent, he began working and campaigning for the noble and royal people of Europe. Although Chaucer often had to travel for his career, he found time to write full poems and stories. He was greatly respected and appreciated by those he worked for.

Chaucer wrote poems, stories, and allegories for royalty. He wrote a poem for Blanch, the Duchess of Lancaster, probably after her death. The poem was called "The Book of the Duchess". "Troilus and Criseyde" was later written when Geoffrey Chaucer was customs controller; it takes place in Troy during Ancient Times. This story was written in a rather unfavorable way towards women, which upset a woman in the royal court, probably the current queen. In addition to writing different stories and poems, Chaucer also translated known works from French to English.

//The Canterbury Tales// is surely Chaucer's most famous literary work. It was written in his later years, between 1387 and 1400. The collection of tales features a pilgrimage of many different people to the shrine of St. Thomas Becket at Canterbury. The contrasting lifestyles of the different pilgrims to Canterbury helped to improve the poem's overall appeal and interest of the poem. In //The Canterbury Tales//, Chaucer tried to show very universal topics, such as love, humor, and human nature. He died around the year 1400. Although some of Chaucer's works were a bit controversial at the time, they were still exceptionally appreciated by all who read them. Chaucer was a very accomplished early English poet, and surely will not be forgotten for years to come.

Works Cited
 * “’Chaucer, Geoffrey.’” The Middle Ages: An Encyclopedia for Students. Ed. William Chester Jordan. Vol. 1. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1996. 175-177. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
 * “’Geoffrey Chaucer.’” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2nd ed. N.p.: Gale, 1998. N. pag. Biography Resource Center. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
 * Tagishsimon. “File:Geoffrey Chaucer - Illustration from Cassell’s History of England - Century Edition - published circa 1902.jpg.” Wikimedia Commons. Wikimedia Foundation, 3 June 2005. Web. 1 Apr. 2010. .