The Birth of English Poetry: Chaucer and his Age

The Age of Chaucer covers a "period of glaring social contrast and political change";
- era of unrest and transition;
- noticeable departure from medievalism to an era of rational inquiry and critical understanding;
- it's the beginning of a new language and literature.
Feastures:
1. Ege of Transition (change from Medieval to Modern);
- literature changed from oral to written;
- adapting, translating an interpretating Greek and Latin texts;
- feudalism, chivalry and church were on their decline.
2. The growth of Nationalism;
- the national spirit grew;
- The East Midland speech became the language of capital and universities.
3. Black Deat, Famine and Social unrest;
- natural calamities increased sufferings of common people; The Black Death (Plague) folowed by
the famine wiped out ont third population of England;
4. The Corruption of the Church and Reformation;
- John Wycliff chalenged the authority of the catholic church;
- The Lullard movement was the first opposition to Catholicism.
5. The Dawn of new Learning.
- England `passed through the journey of medievalism and came to the beginning of the new world.

GEOFFREY CHAUCER (c. 1340, London -1400)

-author, poet, philosopher and alchemist;
- father of English poetry; greatest poet of medieval ages;
- first poet of national importance;
- maintained an active career as a bureaucrate, courtier and diplomat;
- educated in St's Paul Cathedral School and then in the Inner Temple where he studied law;
- he was sent to France, Genoa and Florence where he was inspired by the works of authors like
Dante, Boccaccio and Froissart;
- keen observer of men and manners;
- presented the social, economic and religious condition of age.
Works:
I. The Early Period
translation of "Roman de la Rose;
The Book of the Duchess;
II. Middle Period
The House of Fame
The Parliament of Flows
translation of "Consolidation of Philosophy;
Troilus and Criseyde;

The Legend of Good Women.

III. Last Period

The Cantebury Tales.
The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387)
- influenced by Boccaccio's "Decameron";
- 29 pilgrims meet at Tabard Inn and 23 of them tell stories. In Cantebury Tales there are 24 stories
(Chaucer tells two stories: "The Tale of Thopas" and "The Tale of Melibeus").
- The Cantebury Tales begin with "Knight's Tale"and ends with "Parsons Tale";
- the work ends with "Retraction"which is Chaucher's apology for the vugar and unworthy parts of
this book.