99,000 Essays & Term Papers: Where You Buy Essays and Papers Online
Direct Essays, Where You Can Buy Essays and Papers Online

Instant Access to Buy Essays and Papers Online!
Acceptable Use Policy
Customer Service
Site Search


Login to View Essays and Papers Online

Join Now - Instant Access to Essays and Research Papers!

  Essay and Research Paper Topics
Acceptance Essays
Arts Essays
Custom Essays
English Literature Essays
Foreign
History Essays
Miscellaneous Research Papers and Essays
Movie Essays and Papers
Music Term Papers
Novels
People and Biography Research Papers
Politics Research Papers
Religion Research Papers
Science Essay Topics
Sports Research Papers
Technology Research Papers
 
  FAQ
Technical Support
Site Map
Direct Essays
 

 



Welcome to Direct Essays

This is a short summary of this paper!

Already a member? Go here to log in and view the entire paper!


Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Join Now!
by: Online Check
Join Now!
by: Phone 1-900
Special! View this paper for FREE!
  

Geoffrey Chaucer

GEOFFREY CHAUCER AND HIS EFFECT ON THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Geoffrey Chaucer has been called the Father of the English language. He did for the English narrative what Shakespeare later did for drama. He was the first writer to use lines of poetry that had an appeal to those interested in nature and books. His writing was very modern for his time, even more modern than the writings of others after he died, but he stayed within the traditions of medieval poetry.

Chaucer was born in London, no one knows exactly what date but sometime between 1340 and 1344. Chaucer's father, John Chaucer, was a wine merchant although his last name from the French word chaussier indicates that his ancestors were shoemakers. He would sometimes hold positions in the royal administration and he was a significant member in the business community. Chaucer and his parents were lucky to escape the plague during the times of the Black Death, the epidemic that was spread to European lands from the Middle East. In June of 1348 it entered the coastal towns of England and within a few months two million out of five million inhabitants were dead. At this time, Chaucer was four to eight years old and very fortunate to not have been infected.


No one knows at what point in his life Chaucer began writing. His first writings are believed to be the translations of Le Roman de la Rose, literature from thirteen century France. Chaucer never translated the whole thing, just pieces of it because a character in this poem, Chistine de Pisan, was originally portrayed as "dirty" in some parts. Chaucer liked this character, so he did not translate those parts. The Book of the Duchess was his first true work. It was a long poem that served as an elegy for John of Gaunt's wife, Blanche, who had died during the Bubonic Plague. He also wrote many short poems, but his longer ones turned out to be the most popular. Some of his short poems include The Treatise on the Astrolabe and The Complaint of Mars. Lack of Steadfastness and The Former Age were written to reflect his negative feelings towards Richard II.

Chaucer was made controller of wool customs in London in 1374, which he soon realized was a difficult job. While serving this position he noticed that political tensions were forming between court and Parliament and he thought it would be best to move outside of London for a while. That same year he wrote The House of Fame, a 2,000-line poem about a man who dreams he is carried to heaven. It displayed the influence Dante had on him; for example, Chaucer based his eagle in this poem on the Divine Commedia. This work was and is still preserved, but only a few copies exist. But Chaucer had not gained his popularity yet.

Troilus and Criseyde was written between the years 1381 to 1386, based on the works of Boccacio. Its setting is the Trojan War; two people, Troilus and Criseyde, are in a prison. Troilus decides to go to battle instead of marrying Criseyde. Troilus dies and goes to heaven where he can keep an eye on Criseyde. The poem actually gained some popularity and admiration. This was a first for Chaucer. In 1386 he started writing The Legend of Good Women, which remains unfinished. From these two works Chaucer became a well-known figure in London's literary circle. Some men even started a "Chaucer Circle." Chaucer was able to write maintain activity in his society. In 1386 he was elected to be a member of the Parliament for Kent, the town which he later left London for before the campaign led by Parliament against royal corruption. He seems to have escaped death again; people were later executed who had positions similar to Chaucer's position be

Some common words found in the essay are:
Canterbury Tales, Richard II, Genoa Florence, Divine Commedia, Criseyde Chaucer, Father English, Poets' Corner, Prince Lionel, John Chaucer, English English, richard ii, king richard ii, english language, troilus criseyde, king richard, gained popularity, hundred war, edward iii, divine commedia, characters tales, chaucer able,
Approximate Word count = 1641
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)


  

More Essays on Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer1004 words
geoffrey chaucer664 words
geoffrey Chaucer486 words
Geoffrey Chaucer2105 words
Geoffrey Chaucer English741 words

Look at even more essays on Geoffrey Chaucer
More English Essays

Professional Papers:
Geoffrey Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales2331 words
Satire in Chauceramp39s Canterbury Tales390 words
Love and War in Shakespeare and Chaucer1258 words
Political and Literary Attitude of Chaucer2003 words
Chauceramp39s The Wife of Bath4429 words
The Parson in The Canterbury Tales1466 words
Special! View this paper for FREE!
Click here to JoinNow!
by: Credit Card
Click here to Join Now!
by: Online Check
Click here to Join Now!
by: Phone 1-900

 

All papers and essays are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright 2002-2009 Direct Essays , LLC. All Rights Reserved. DMCA
Webmasters make $$$$
Saved Papers