The conterbury tales

1.2 Geoffrey Chaucer's literary works
Chaucer's first major work was The Book of the Duchess, an elegy for Blanche of Lancaster who died in 1368. Two other early works were Anelida and Arcite and The House of Fame. He wrote many of his major works in a prolific period when he held the job of customs comptroller for London. His Parlement of Foules, The Legend of Good Women, and Troilus and Criseyde all date from this time. It is believed that he started The Canterbury Tales in the 1380s. [89]Chaucer also translated Boethius' Consolation of Philosophy and The Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Lorris (extended by Jean de Meun). Eustache Deschamps called himself a "nettle in Chaucer's garden of poetry". In 1385, Thomas Usk made glowing mention of Chaucer, and John Gower also lauded him.[7.13] Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe describes the form and use of the astrolabe in detail and is sometimes cited as the first example of technical writing in the English language, and it indicates that Chaucer was versed in science in addition to his literary talents. The equatorie of the planetis is a scientific work similar to the Treatise and sometimes ascribed to Chaucer because of its language and handwriting, an identification which scholars no longer deem tenable. Chaucer wrote in a range of poetic forms and genres. He composed dream visions such as The Book of the Duchess, The Legend of Good Women and The Parliament of Fowls, as well as Troilus and Criseyde – the great exploration of love and loss set during the Trojan War. He also produced philosophical and scientific works: he translated the Consolation of Philosophy, by the Roman senator and philosopher Boethius and he wrote a treatise – a kind of how-to guide – on the astrolabe, which was an astronomical device. Geoffrey Chaucer’s association with politics and visits to various places provided him materials for his writings. His literary career formally began when the Duke of Lancaster asked him to pen down a memorial poem for his deceased wife. Following his wish, Chaucer composed a poem, The Book for Duchess that was regarded as a fitting memorial to the highest-ranking women of English royalties. His other long poem, Troilus and Criseyde, a tragedy, was written in the background of the Trojan War. However, his best known and acclaimed work, The Canterbury Tales, appeared in 1476. The book presents the journey of certain characters to the holy shrine of St. Thomas Becket, where each pilgrim is supposed to tell a tale that links it to the prologue and epilogue. Besides producing these literary wonders, he also tried his hands on nonfiction. His essay, A Treatise on the Astrolabe, shows writing qualities.[12.76] These works show the range of his skill, but perhaps none have the scale and impressiveness of The Canterbury Tales – an ambitious collection of stories in a range of poetic (and in one case, prose) forms. It imagines a group of 31 pilgrims who meet while travelling to the shrine of Thomas Becket in Canterbury. To pass the time, they decide to tell two tales to the assembled company on the journey there and the journey home. This extraordinary work, which presents a portrait of late medieval Britain with humour and tragedy, was left unfinished when Chaucer died in 1400, but it – along with much of his other verse – is still celebrated as some of the greatest works in the English language[16.10]. Chaucer has mesmerized generations with his unique, elegant, and fascinating writing approach, showing influences of French literature, Biblical History, and Old English Literature. He demonstrates his powerful imagination and creative approach through simple yet effective and persuasive language. For example, Parliament of Fouls shows the use of literary elements like satire, irony, and allegory when he presents courtly love. In his narrative poem, Troilus and Criseyde, he has used rime royal, a technique that involves rhyming stanzas consisting of seven lines each. Similarly, In The Legend of Good Woman, he introduces another innovative format: the text comprising iambic pentameter couplets and a series of short narratives. Some of his major thematic strands are Christianity, corruption in Church, good versus evil, lies and deception, justice and judgment, courtly love, sexual desire, religion, and rivalry. However, for literary devices, he resorts to irony and satir Some Important Works of Geoffrey Chaucer Major Works: He was an outstanding literary figure, some of his major writings include Roman de la Rose, The Book of Duchess, The House of Fame, Anelida and Arcite, Parliament of Fouls, Boece, The Legend of Good Woman, The Canterbury Tales and A treatise on the Astrolabe. As the father of English literature, Chaucer has created a niche among the literary giants of the world due to his exceptional intellect and wit. His remarkable works not only provide insight into the language, culture, and literature of his time but also demonstrate their relevance with the modern world. His narrative poems and his magnum opus, The Canterbury Tales, casts a singular shadow over religious narratives and old literary pieces. His use of English in his works helped establish Middle English as a medium, replacing languages like French and Latin and paving the way for great literary production. In fact, his use of appropriate diction has won him a place among the best writers of the world of the classical period. Geoffrey Chaucer is rightfully called the first prominent figure of English Literature who transformed not just literature but also the language of England. His political and literary career, spanning for almost fifty years is categorized into three distinct phases. He saw the reign of three English kings, served as a national figure and explored the continent thereby absorbing the earliest essence of the Italian Renaissance heralded by Dante, Petrarch and Bocaccio. He grew up in the fearful times of the Black Death, joined the court at the young age of seventeen and went on to fight in the Hundred Year’s War against France[87]. It was during this time that he came under the influence of the French literature and culture and eventually created remarkable pieces himself. After this phase, which lasted for about thirty years, he came under the influence of Italian writers, thereby entering the Italian phase of his career, spanning for about fifteen years. Finally, he created his masterpiece “The Canterbury Tales” in his last phase, the English phase. The phases are approximations and overlapping as well and this division should not be seen as absolute water-tight compartments Geoffrey Chaucer’s Style and MetreIn the Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses lines of ten syllables in couplets. In Troilus and Criseyde, he uses the Rime Royal, arranged in seven-line stanzas. He used the eight-syllable line with four accents, the lines riming in couplets in “the Book of the Duchess”. These three principal metres are observed in the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. The principal essence of Chaucer’s poetry is musicality. He transformed the existing midland dialect into a full-fledged language [7;65]