Geoffrey, who? Celebrating the life of a legendary writer
Keely Lyons, News and Features Editor
On Oct. 25, an artist, poet and true renaissance-man died. Today, we recognize a life of medieval proportions: Geoffrey Chaucer, the English writer that shaped the world of the middle ages.
According to Britannica.com, Chaucer’s exact birthday is unknown, but it is believed his birth year was 1342, making him “England’s Poet,” before Shakespeare ever placed ink to parchment. Not only was he an esteemed writer, but he was served as a courtier, noblewoman’s page, scrap metal collector and public affair official for Edward III, Richard II and Henry IV.
Born in a home of prestige and connection, Chaucer was born to a wine merchant, John Chaucer, who also served as deputy to the king’s butler.
According to Poets.org, when Chaucer grew up, he became a soldier at the age of 13 and was captured during the Hundred Years’ War. Edward III paid for him to be set free and shortly after, the king also paid Chaucer a life pension.
This pension allowed him to travel and discover great works of art in Italy, where he discovered literature that inspired his artistic pursuits. Shortly after, he conceptualized and transcribed notable works like, “Analida and Arcite.”
Traces of Chaucer’s artistic thumbprint can be enjoyed today in books like, “The Canterbury Tales,” a written work comprised of 24 short stories, which is a commonly required reading for school.
According to World History Encyclopedia, “The Canterbury Tales,” deals with themes of God’s will to love, marriage, pride, and death which are staples of Chaucer’s themes. Chaucer drew many of the characters from his own life, making them believable.
World History Encyclopedia said, “The Canterbury Tales is narrated by a character whom scholars identify as Chaucer-the-pilgrim, a literary character based on the author, but presented as far more naïve, clueless, and trusting than the actual Chaucer could have been.”
Chaucer is known as one of the fathers of the English language. During the composition of, “The Canterbury Tales,” court poetry was still being written in Anglo-Norman and Latin. Chaucer wrote it in the English vernacular and was one of the first pioneers of the iambic pentameter in poetry, said Poets.com.
Chaucer died of unknown causes on October 25, 1400. Chaucer is survived by his artistic works and is known as one of the most influential writers of the thirteenth century.
Graphic by Nelson Shwe
