Geoffrey Chaucer

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.

. . .
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)