Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer (London towards 1343 - 1400) was a author, Philosophe, Diplomate and Poète English, known like the author of the Contes of Canterbury . It is sometimes regarded as the first author to show the artistic legitimacy of the English language. He was called “Father of English poetry” by John Dryden.

Biography

He was a contemporary of Boccace which he took as a starting point much, and of Christine de Pisan. Wire of a merchant of wine having his entries at the Court of England, it was engaged there like page with the service of Lionel, duke of Clarence, in addition wire of the king Edouard III of England. Being useful as knight with the service of Edouard III it fought in France in 1359 but was made prisoner with the seat of Rheims then released against ransom. Chaucer married, towards 1366, Philippa de Roet, rams house of Philippa de Hainault and girl of Payne de Roet. His/her Katherine sister who married in first weddings Hugh Swynford was the mistress then the woman of Jean of Ghent, duke of Lancaster. For this one, it composed in 1368 a homage to the first wife of the duke, Blanche, the Book off the Duchess which is the first work that one allots to Chaucer. It was useful at the time of many campaigns in France and Spain like in Italy, which it twice visited during diplomatic missions.

At 31 years, he became inspector with the customs of the Port of London. It is as from this moment that it found time to write and that it composed its principal works. He translated in particular the Romance of the Rose, written in French by Guillaume de Lorris and widened several years later by Jean de Meung, and the Consolation of philosophy of the Latin philosopher Boèce. He wrote inter alia The House off Famed ( the House of famous the ) in 1379, The Parliament off Fowls ( Parliament of the birds ) in 1382 and " Troilus and Cressida " (Troïlus and Cressida) about 1385, work inspired of Boccace and which inspired William Shakespeare. However, it is better known like the author of the Contes of Canterbury . It started the composition of this unfinished work, inspired of the Décaméron of Boccace, with died of his wife in 1387. This collection comprises 21 tales told by pilgrims on the way towards the Cathédrale of Canterbury and this in order to break the monotony of the voyage. To note that the tale Chanteclair and the Cock was inspired by a history of Marie de France. the Tales of Canterbury were published for the first time in 1478.

The tales contain a very sour social criticism various layers of the feudal company, of the nun (who carried jewels and discovered her face to allure the men) to the monk (who was so generous " that L had organized several marriages of young girls, and had insisted for all to pay its poche") is necessary to understand that the young women were pregnant by the monk.

Its masterly work was going considerably to help with the formation of the English Littérature. He is regarded as the introducer of the meter to accents and syllables like alternative with the alliterative Anglo-Saxon meter. He also helped to regularize the accent of the south (area of London) of the Middle English.

Chaucer died the October 25th 1400. It is buried with the Abbaye of Westminster, to which it was close. In 1556, its remainders were moved and honoured better in what became thereafter the Coin of the Poets.

Old editions

One joined together his Œuvres with London in 1721, folio, and 1798, 2 volumes in-4, with notes by Thomas Tyrwhitt. The most complete edition announced by the dictionary Bouillet to the 19th century is that of R. Bell, 1855.

French editions

De Caluwé-Dor, Juliette, Tales of Canterbury , Ghent, Story-Scientia, 1977; Leuwen, Peeters, 1986 (2 vol. of various tales).
Tales of Canterbury , Christian Bourgois, 10/18, " Library médiévale" , 1991 (principal tales, in an altered order).
Andre Crepin, Tales of Canterbury , presentation and new translation (intended for the " Library of the Pleiad "), with a postface of G.K. Chesterton (extracted from sound Chaucer published in 1932), Gallimard, traditional Folio, 2000, ISBN 2-07-040634-2

See too

Literature
Middle English
Literature of the Middle English
medieval Literature
College Chaucer, a direction of the high studies to the University of Kent, in England; North Petherton
Asteroid 2984 Chaucer, named in the honor of the poet

External bonds

Chaucer on the site of the university of Harvard (in English)
The Canterbury Bruise and Other Poems (in)
Troilus and Creseyde (in)

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