Biography of Author Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

Introduction

Born and raised in London in the 1340s, Geoffrey Chaucer became one of the most important authors in English literature. Throughout his lifetime, he worked as a public servant for Countess Elizabeth and then the British court. He was paid a small stipend, just enough to pay for his food and clothing (Geoffrey Chaucer). Chaucer was born into a wealthy, wine trade family. They were in the bourgeois class and it is to be believed that his father carried on the family wine business. Chaucer attended the St. Paul’s Cathedral School. It is there where he was introduced to the writing of Virgil and Ovid, some influences for his writings. Chaucer fought in The Hundred Years’ War in France and was captured for ransom. Because Chaucer worked as a public servant, he had royal connections. King Edward III assisted in paying his ransom (Geoffrey Chaucer). In 1366, Chaucer was married to Philippa Roet. By marrying Philippa, his career in the English court was advanced.

Examples through Works of Literature

In 1380, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote Parliament of Fouls. Chaucer wrote this poem during the marriage negotiations between Richard and Anne of Bohemia (Geoffrey Chaucer). J.A.W. Bennet interpreted the poem Parliament of Fouls and decided it was a study of the Christian love. Poets Cicero and Jean De Meun were the main two inspirations for Parliament of Fouls. There were multiple elements in the poem that supported J.A.W Bennet’s interpretation of the poem. The poem uses allegory, irony and satire, and talks about the inauthentic quality of courtly love (Geoffrey Chaucer).

In the mid-1380s, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote the poem Troilus and Criseyde (Geoffrey Chaucer). Troilus and Criseyde explains a tragic love story from...

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...stminster and lived there the rest of his life (Geoffrey Chaucer).

On October 25, 1400, Geoffrey Chaucer passed away under unknown causes in London, England (Geoffrey Chaucer). Chaucer was 60 years old at the time and buried in Westminster Abbey in the center of the “Poet’s Corner” along with Robert Browning and Charles Dickens. Without Chaucer’s honest stories, literature today would not be as bold and daring as it is.

Works Cited

Refrences

Geoffrey Chaucer. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 01:49, Nov 13, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/geoffrey-chaucer-9245691.

Rhyme royal. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved November 13, 2013, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhyme royal

Robert Huntington Fletcher. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/rfletcher/bl-rfletcher-history-3-gchaucer.htm