Anatine
Geoffrey Chaucer Profile

Geoffrey Chaucer
Keynotes

  Born:  London, c.1340.

  Died:  London, 25th October 1400.

  English poet, generally regarded as the most influential English poet of the medieval period.  His work helped to shape the English language as well as inspiring and motivating generations of poets and storytellers.

  Little is known of Chaucer's early life; he was born in London around 1340, and was a soldier in his youth.  He participated in the French Wars where he was taken prisoner, and in 1360 was ransomed by Edward III.

  In 1366, Chaucer married Philippa Roet (or Philippa Pan), becoming brother-in-law to John of Gaunt (1340 - 1399), the fourth son of Edward III.

  Chaucer's writing career began with translations and culminated in The Canterbury Tales, a collection of tales told by pilgrims on their way to see the shrine of St. Thomas a Beckett (c.1118 - 1170), gathered into a single narrative.  The Canterbury Tales consists of 24 stories told by characters such as the Pardoner, the Franklin, the Nun's Priest and the Wife of Bath.  Each tale is independent of the others, but all are woven together by Chaucer's first person narrative which skillfully enhances the storytelling with interruptions from the other characters.

  In December 1399 Chaucer leased a house in the garden of Westminster Abbey where he lived until he died the following October.  He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

Works:

Canterbury Tales (c.1387)
The Romance of the Rose
The Book of the Duchesse (c.1369/70)
Troilus and Crisayde
 Hous of Fame

 

Links

Representative Poetry Online - Selected Poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer
http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/
rpo/display/poet61.html

Spartacus - Geoffrey Chaucer
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
NORchaucer.htm

BBCi - Geoffrey Chaucer
http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/books/
author/chaucer/

The Millennium Library - Geoffrey Chaucer
http://www.millenniumlibrary.co.uk/millib/reference/
notes.php?entry=Geoffrey%20Chaucer&fromdb=2

Harvard University - Geoffrey Chaucer
http://icg.harvard.edu/~chaucer/

Guardian Unlimited - Geoffrey Chaucer
http://books.guardian.co.uk/authors/
author/0,5917,-38,00.html

A selection of books by Geoffrey Chaucer available from W.H. Smith:
 

Canterbury Tales  (hardback)

Love Visions The Book of the Duchess, The House of Fame, The Parliament of Birds, The Legend of Good Women.

Troilus and Criseyde  (paperback)

Parlement of Foulys

Romaunt of the Rose

Canterbury Tales A Facsimile and Transcription of the Hengwrt Manuscript with Variants from the Ellesmere Manuscript.

New Ellesmere Chaucer Monochromatic Facsimile

Minor Poems

Treatise on the Astrolabe