Described by Dryden in 1700 as ’the Father of English poetry’, Chaucer’s position as presiding genius of English literature has remained remarkably intact throughout the six hundred years since his death in
1400 To us he is primarily the author of The Canterbury Tales, praised for his variety of tone, his irony, his ability to sketch character and caricature and also, as we get to know more of him, for his fascination with books, with the origins and telling of stones and for his intellectual range Historical records present a very different figure a page and courtier, a civil servant and collector of taxes who travelled abroad on undisclosed royal business, a man accused of rape and frequently summoned for debt, who lived in London and Kent, was buried in Westminster Abbey and later moved to become the first poet m ’Poet’s Corner’ He lived in the turbulent times of the Hundred Years War with France and the beginnings of the Wars of the Roses, the Peasants’ Revolt and the Black Death, yet little of this surfaces in his writing To his contemporaries, he was an acclaimed translator, writer of lyrics and philosopher This volume seeks to give some impression of all these aspects, while yet retaining a focus on his writings
Part I is divided into a biography of Chaucer, with some discussion of the different Chaucers biographers have created over the years, and an overview of his literary and social contexts, which also serves as a brief introduction to late medieval England Part II concentrates on his writing, covering every text currently believed to have been authored by Chaucer As far as possible, they are treated chronologically, with fresh readings and suggested thematic links between texts Some of these themes are then elaborated in Part in, which surveys Chaucer criticism, taking account of his place in hnguisitic as well as literary study Many areas which are currently commanding general attention have been debated for some time by Chaucer scholars issues of the presentation of text, editing and the role of the audience are central to Chaucer study, and are enjoying new currency as our understanding of what constitutes a text is altered by the increasing use of electronic media m a change as radical as that from manuscript to print culture Attitudes towards literary tradition are also pertinent, and Chaucer’s standing as an icon for Enghshness is touched upon Other questions more specific to Chaucer are discussed m the light of modern criticism are we content to praise Chaucer’s presentation of women^ What light GEOFFREY CHAUCER does New Histoncism shed on his portrayal of fourteenth-century
society, or our creation of iti
In all, this volume provides a manageable and readable discussion of what we know of Chaucer and reactions to his works, offering both straightforward information and range of opinion on a many-faceted, familiar, yet strangely elusive figure For six hundred years Chaucer has provided enjoyment, laughter, conundrum and food for thought, which all contribute to his hold on the English literary imagination This Guide aims to be part of that continuing process.
PART I
LIFE AND CONTEXTS
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