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2.3 Contribution of Geoffrey Chaucer to the English literature
Geoffrey Chaucer has been as christened the father of English poetry, he was the initial English poet who engraved in a style of linguistic which is eagerly identifiable at the moment. Chaucer is indisputably the creator of English literature and language. The Anglo-Saxon literature does not prompt the wide-ranging mastermind of English people; it breaths the air of tomb. Even Metrical romance written before Chaucer are gloomy and repetitious and do not have the liveliness and variety which characters the work of Chaucer.
He has been acclaimed is the initial realist, find humorist, fast narrative artist, fast great metrical artist, and denotative of primitive poet in English literature. Supplementary he has been created not only the fatherhood of English poetry but he has also been welcomed as the father of English drama before the drama was born and father of English novel before the novel was born. English language was separated into northern, southern, midland dialects. Chaucer chose his medium the east midland dialect the tongue of the capital and it was on justification of his influence east midland dialect attain the dignity of national language. Thus, Chaucer is the initial national English poet. He played a part as the originator of English versification, here octosyllabic lines previously in use he had to borrow or manufacture his tool. From French he imported the decasyllabic lines which was become the heroic verses. In the Canterbury Tales Chaucer used lines of 10 syllables with five accents. The hoarfrost royal arranged in seven rhyme stanzas is found in its perfect form in Troilus. The eight-syllabic line with 4 accents rhyming with couplet are found in "The Book of the Duchess". In short, Chaucer used all the prosodic systems of English poetry. Chaucer is the initial to show the poetic possibilities of the language. In sweetness, sureness and easy of style he recalls all the greatest disciple Spencer. He was the dominant romancer; he gave a new life to allegory.
Chaucer disclosed his skill in the description of characters. He was indeed the prototype of Shakespeare. He offered characters and human senses impartially in a way that we can trust. The character of "pandarus" that easy-going garrulous personality in "Troilus Testifies" it's shown the Chaucer's power of character painting. Not only did he give English poetry a new dress but also a new body and a new soul. His most important contribution to the content of poetry is in his strike obedience to realism. His "Canterbury Tales" personifies a new determination in the history of English literature as it stringently e deal with the real man, manners and life which before Chaucer was lacking in poetry. He comprehended to adopt Pope's eminent couplet.
Chaucer's tone as a poet is delightfully occurrence with warmth, broadmindedness, humor and brightness which are absent from that of his colleagues and predecessors, who are too dreamy or too serious to be e interesting. In spite of his awareness of the corruption and unrest in the society of his age Chaucer is never upset or upsetting. No one can read him without feeling that it is good to be alive in this world Although deficient may it be in numerous respects. Chaucer is a chronic optimist.
He leaves didacticism to Langland and, he himself peacefully coexist with all human imperfection. It does not mean that he is not satirical but is satire are always seasoned with lively human. In the field of versification, the English poets owe much to Chaucer. He was the initial poet, who tried his hands-on English poetry. During his time, poetry was in its raw shape. He made more than a few experiments in versification and gave it a new silhouette. His generations were sued to too much alliteration in their poetry. Chaucer could not withstand with it and brought about drastic changes in alliteration. In the old-fashioned alliteration, the number of syllables was unbalanced. Chaucer discarded this method of alliteration and introduced a new one, which had regular number of syllables, end rhyme and absence of frequent repetition. In Chaucer’s poetry, we also find that he has used lines of ten syllables and the lines are in couplets. Every line in a couplet rhyme with each other. Chaucer is also famous for his new form of stanza, which is called Chaucerian stanza. He was the initial poet, who introduced it into the English literature. It is a stanza of seven lines having octosyllabic meter. Its rhyme scheme is aba bb cc. Chaucer used this type of stanza in The Books of the Duchesse. Chaucer is also regarded as the originator of heroic couplet. Heroic couplet is widely used in The Canterbury Tales by Chaucer and later on by his successors like Pope and Dryden. Pope and Dryden perfected the Heroic Couplet to a great extent.
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