Geoffrey Chaucer, the father of English poetry, was the first who started writing in English, not in Latin, as writers and poets used to. No one knows for sure how he spent his early years of life as well as no one knows where he was after 1400. This year is considered as the date of his death. It should be stated that having written many poems which became popular during the life of this great person made him more respected and known after his death. Much time has passed, but this person is still remembered and his popularity does not do out.
Geoffrey Chaucer is an English writer who was the first to start writing in English while others wrote in Latin. Geoffrey Chaucer’s verses are perfectly formatted, structured and vivid. The problems he discusses in his verses are interesting and amazing. He has managed to dwell upon the simplest aspects in a very literary and serious language, all his poems are easily understood.
Reading Geoffrey Chaucer’s works, one may say that he is an idol and an example for his followers. Having written many works which changed the vision on literature in England, we know almost nothing about Geoffrey Chaucer’s life and death.
It is known for sure that Geoffrey Chaucer was born between 1340 and 1345, maybe in London. The first part of his life was devoted to wars and then to serving king and his kingdom. Starting writing his poems, he became popular soon. There is not much known about his life during those years, still it may be said that he was sent to diplomatic missions in different countries. He also worked on royal building projects.
The first work written by the poet was The Book of the Duchess, however only The Canterbury Tales brought him fame and popularity. It is unknown for sure which was the final work of the poet as well as we never know what he did before the death. It is essential to know that Geoffrey Chaucer disappeared from social arena in 1400 and it seemed that it were his last days. Geoffrey Chaucer was buried in Westminster Abbey (Geoffrey Chaucer, 2013).
Geoffrey Chaucer has written a lot of different works which seem to impress people nowadays. The first work The Book of the Duchess is devoted to John of Gaunt’s first wife written after her death. The poem is highly symbolic. The first part is rather boring due to the introduction of the narrators, but then, the discussion touches very important themes, such as life and death where white and black colors are used (Rudd, 2001).
The Canterbury Tales is the most popular work which consists of numerous stories most of which are poems while some of them are written in prose. The main idea of this collection of stories is a telling contest the main characters have created. Therefore, each story participates in it.
The more Geoffrey Chaucer’s poems I read, the more interesting and exciting this person becomes to me. Having written so many poems and prose, he also appears to be the contributor to the development of English language. Many authors of the modern time copy the structure and style of his writing.
Many of poet’s works are used as the basis for creating personal works. Thus, British academic Walter William Skeat has written a book devoted to Chaucer’s works, their interpretation and meaning in detail where he has used the author’s poems as the basis for studying English language of the 14th century (Chaucer, & Skeat, 2013).
Reference List
Chaucer, G., & Skeat, W. W. (2013). Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, London: Cosimo, Inc.
Geoffrey Chaucer. (2013). BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/chaucer_geoffrey.shtml
Rudd, G. (2001). The Complete Critical Guide to Geoffrey Chaucer, London: Routledge.