CHAUCER, GEOFFREY

CHAUCER, GEOFFREY
   the great early English poet, and father of English poetry, the son of a vintner and taverner, born probably in London, where he lived almost all his days; when a lad, served as page in the royal household; won the favour and patronage of the king, Edward III. and his son, John of Gaunt, who pensioned him; served in an expedition to France; was made prisoner, but ransomed by the king; was often employed on royal embassies, in particular to Italy; held responsible posts at home; was thus a man of the world as well as a man of letters; he comes first before us as a poet in 1369; his poetic powers developed gradually, and his best and ripest work, which occupied him at intervals from 1373 to 1400, is his "CANTERBURY TALES" (q.v.), characterised by Stopford Brooke as "the best example of English story-telling we possess"; besides which he wrote, among other compositions, "The Life of St. Cecilia," "Troilus and Cressida," the "House of Fame," and the "Legend of Good Women"; his influence on English literature has been compared to that of Dante on Italian, and his literary life has been divided into three periods - the French, the Italian, and the English, according as the spirit of it was derived from a foreign or a native source (1340-1400).

The Nuttall Encyclopaedia. . 1907.

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  • CHAUCER, GEOFFREY° — (1340?–1400), English poet. His major work, The Canterbury Tales, written during the final phase of his career (c. 1390), includes one story based on a blood libel . The Prioress s Tale, which reflects contemporary prejudices, is the story of a… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — • Summary of the author s life and literary contributions Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — born с 1342/43, London?, Eng. died Oct. 25, 1400, London English poet. Of middle class birth, he was a courtier, diplomat, and civil servant, trusted by three kings in his active and varied career, and a poet only by avocation. His first… …   Universalium

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — (ca. 1343–1400)    Geoffrey Chaucer was the most admired and influential writer of the English Middle Ages. Known chiefly as a narrative poet, particularly for his varied collection of CANTERBURY TALES (ca. 1387–1400) and his tragic verse ROMANCE …   Encyclopedia of medieval literature

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — (1340? 1400)    Poet, was b. in London, the s. of John C., a vintner of Thames Street, who had also a small estate at Ipswich, and was occasionally employed on service for the King (Edward III.), which doubtless was the means of his son s… …   Short biographical dictionary of English literature

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — (?1340 1400)    Little is known about Chaucer s life but that he was the son of a rich London wine merchant and that he was a page in the household of Prince Lionel, later duke of Clarence, for many years. In 1359 60 he was with the army of… …   British and Irish poets

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — (ca. 1340 1400)    The greatest poet of medieval English literature, and the first widely influential poet since Anglo Saxon times to write mainly in English rather than French. He is enduringly famous as the author of the Canterbury Tales, a… …   Historical Dictionary of Renaissance

  • Chaucer, Geoffrey — ► (1340 1400) Poeta inglés. Autor de obras poéticas, como El libro de la duquesa (1369). Su obra maestra es Los cuentos de Canterbury (1386 1400), narraciones inspiradas en el Decamerón. * * * ( 1342/43, ¿Londres?, Inglaterra–25 oct. 1400,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Chaucer,Geoffrey — Chau·cer (chôʹsər), Geoffrey. 1340? 1400. English poet regarded as the greatest literary figure of medieval England. His works include The Book of the Duchess (1369), Troilus and Criseyde (c. 1385), and his masterwork, The Canterbury Tales (1387… …   Universalium

  • Chaucer — Chaucer, Geoffrey …   Enciclopedia Universal

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