Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer was a great philosopher, English writer, and poet of the fourteen century. Considered one of the greatest writers in the English language, his work is still read by many people today. The Canterbury Tales are among his best-known works. Chaucer was born in London around 1343. His father and grandfather were both vintners, which may explain why Chaucer was able to move into the upper echelons of society. It is thought that he received an excellent education at Westminster School and Oxford University. He served as a page to the Countess of Ulster and traveled widely in Europe, possibly even visiting Italy.

Geoffrey Chaucer was known as one of the first early modern writers in English Literature. He was a learned person and a responsible citizen. Early Modern Literature was more secular than Medival Literature. Canterbury Tales is a 14th-century collection of stories written by Geoffrey Chaucer. It is considered to be one of the greatest works of literature from the Middle Ages. A group of pilgrims tells one hundred and twenty-four tales as they journey together to Canterbury Cathedral. They range in length from just one sentence to over ten pages long. The tales vary widely, with some focusing on high religious themes while others being bawdy and crude. They were originally written in Middle English, but the language has changed. Modern translations have been done to keep the stories understandable to modern readers.

He started a trend that flourished later in Shakespeare's writing. He had a multi-faceted personality and he knew the world not from the point of merely writing but from other angles. He was a diplomate. He was sent on various diplomatic missions to Italy and France on different occasions. 

Initially, he wrote in French and also in Latin. He was also a soldier and he took part in certain battles. Thirdly, he was a scholar. In the Feudal Lords & Serfs, the world was divided and Chaucer belonged to neither of the class. He was somewhere in between. He was a middle-class person, not in today's sense but in the sense of those days. He lives by his skills, by his labors or tendency. His roots were in the professional class but had also a keen eye for the ordinary man.

With him, Modern English Literature begins. Therefore, he is known as the father of English Literature. Today the English form is very elegant, very developed, very precise, great vocabulary and the language is not standardized. Chaucer is rightly called the evening star of the Medival Age and the morning star of the Renaissance because he represents both the old and new order in his poetry.

Chaucer came from the upper layer of the hierarchy of society. Chaucer tells the story in a manner of a bard, in a manner of a person who sings. He writes lines that are measured. He writes lines that have rhythm. He is not describing, he is telling. He writes in people's language, which is a common language. He performed ambassadorial duties as well as was a man of the court.

Chaucer is addictive. You read Chaucer and you read Chaucer again. He was an amazing writer he knew how to write about all the strata of society.