. One year course in English and American literature; an introduction to the chief authors in English and American literature, with reading lists and references for further study. age(Macmillan). CHAPTER II CHAUCER AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES Geoffrey Chaucer John WiclifSir John de Mandeville The first great writer of the Anglo-Saxon period was apoet; the first great writer in modern English was alsoa poet. Geoffrey Chaucer was born inLondon about 1340. His fatherwas a wine merchant who hadsupplied the court, and Chauceras a boy became a court went to France with theroyal army, was captured
. One year course in English and American literature; an introduction to the chief authors in English and American literature, with reading lists and references for further study. age(Macmillan). CHAPTER II CHAUCER AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES Geoffrey Chaucer John WiclifSir John de Mandeville The first great writer of the Anglo-Saxon period was apoet; the first great writer in modern English was alsoa poet. Geoffrey Chaucer was born inLondon about 1340. His fatherwas a wine merchant who hadsupplied the court, and Chauceras a boy became a court went to France with theroyal army, was captured, ran-somed, returned to England, andreceived a new court position;was sent to Italy and othercountries on state business, mar-ried a lady of the court, wasmade controller of customs atthe port of London, became a member of Parliament, andafter a full and successful life died in London in is remembered, however, not as the successful manof affairs but as the first great English poet. In his earlylife at court he learned French and became familiar withthe Norman-French literature of the time. This consistedchiefly of long narrative poems telling the adventures and 9. GEOFFREY CHAUCER 10 CHAUCER AND HIS CONTEMPORARIES exploits of famous heroes. Some of these poems werebased upon the story of the siege of Troy, others told ofAlexander the Great, others of Charlemagne and hisTwelve Peers, others of King Arthur and his Knights ofthe Round Table. Then there were many short poemsdealing with love and chivalry, some of which Chaucerimitated in his earliest writings. When he went to Italyhe learned to know another of the great literatures of theworld. The poetry of Dante, of Petrarch, of Boccaccio,opened a new world to him ; he read with delight, andunder the influence of Italian writers he wrote a long nar-rative poem called Troilns and Cressida. In later life, how-ever, he turned from French and Italian models and wrotehis most original and greatest work, the Canterbury Tales.
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