About
Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1343–1400) was an English poet and author, regarded as the father of English literature. Son of a prosperous wine merchant, he served as a page, soldier, diplomat, and civil servant under three kings. His missions to Italy exposed him to Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio, influencing his work. His masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, uses a pilgrimage as a framing device for a variety of stories. Chaucer established the London dialect as England's literary language at a time when French and Latin dominated. He was the first writer buried in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey.
* 1343-01-01 — † 1400-10-25
Major works
- The Book of the Duchess (1369/70)narrative poem
- The House of Fame (c. 1375–1380)poem
- Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1385)narrative poem
- The Canterbury Tales (c. 1387–1400)collection of tales
Key milestones
- 1357First appears in records as a page in the household of Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster.
- 1374Appointed comptroller of customs for the Port of London.
- 1400Dies on 25 October; first writer buried in what became Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey.
Themes
courtly lovesocial satirepilgrimage and religionfortune and fatehuman nature
Sources: britannica.com · britishlibrary.cn · westminster-abbey.org
