Contributions of Geoffrey Chaucer - Research Paper Example

Geoffrey Chaucer Before the Italian renaissance that brought about great cultural change in literature and the arts in Italy and Europe there were many great poets and writers that influenced literature and their impact is still felt until today (Gouwens 1). At this point in history, literature was only expressed and done in Latin and French and English was not predominantly spoken, as is the case now (Halleck 91). The language spoken in the royal court was French. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first person to write literary works in the English language. His works have transcended time and have been considered classic works of literature. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyse and discuss contributions of Geoffrey Chaucer. Background Geoffrey Chaucer is considered the father of English literature because he pioneered writing literature in the English language. His father came from a generation of wine makers and mother was a rich heir of 24 shops in London. His name is coined from the French word that means shoemaker (Wetherbee 67). In his early life he worked as an aristocrat, diplomat and as civil servant working for the king Bloom, 138. While working in the army when Britain invaded France he was captured as a prisoner of war and the king paid for his ransom (Chaucer, 10). While serving the king he met his wife Phillipa who was also in the palace serving the queen with whom they had a number of children. As he continued to serve the king, Chaucer become the king’s esquire and is known to have lived as a prosperous man because of the amount of money he received from the king (Gillian 20). His wife Philippa also earned a hefty sum then and this enabled them live comfortably. In his service to King Edward III, he travelled to Spain and France after the English has made peace with France (Reynolds and Greever 98). These travels are said to have influenced his life greatly. From his travels, he was exposed to the French and Italian culture, which influenced his early literary works. His early poems were translated from the French language to English. Professional endeavours His father being a deputy butler to the king meant that he had the connections that enabled him get into the king’s service as well. Geoffrey Chaucer began his career in royal service when he was appointed to the house of the countess of Ulster and her husband. He also served in the military, in 1359, he went to war in France in the hundred years of war under the leadership of Edward III, and there he was taken as a prisoner of war. It was after the treaty of Bretigny that he was able to return home. His career made a turn in 1369 because he was asked to compose his first poem by the duke of Lancaster. The poem was in the memory of his wife and was done in English, which was different because French was the language used in the English court (Bloom 17). The poem was intended for the intellectuals a fitting memorial for the duchess who was a high-ranking member of society (Halleck 59). After the war, he was taken by the king as a valet and he later on became an esquire in the royal household. With this position, he became the king’s messenger abroad from time to time dealing with matters of trade and the king’s business. This gave him the opportunity to travel widely in Europe and interact with other cultures. In Genoa and Florence, in particular he made contact with French culture and poetry. His encounter in Italy gave him an awakening to poetry and writing. As he continued in his poetry, he rose to the position of an aristocrat whose work was in the customs office in the London port. In 1374, he was appointed the comptroller of the customs and subsidies of skins, tanned hides and wools. This new responsibility required him to be hands on and do his duties personally. In 1382, he was promoted to the office of comptroller of petty customs and in 1385, he became a justice of peace for Kent and later on in 1386, he was nominated to parliament in the House of Commons by the king Richard II. His rise in career in the royal household was catapulted by the influence of his parents who brought him to work in the royal household as young man. He retired in 1399 and lived in a leased house in Westminster abbey London. Chaucer Death Before his death, Chaucer lived at Greenwich, and he died on October 25, 1400 in London. However, his death is surrounded with numerous mysteries; the major one is that he was murdered because he did not leave a will. He was later buried in Westminster Abbey, a place that was later called Poet’s Corner (Halleck 88). In 1555-6, a monument was erected to illustrate his contribution to the society, and Nicholas Brigham who was a poet championed this idea. Geoffrey Chaucer was the first poet to be buried in Abbey and it is attributed to his position in the Palace of Westminster as a Clear of Works rather than his contribution in his writings. Most of his manuscripts that still exist can be traced back to the fifteenth century. Influence on historic events Most of the historical events that took place were beyond Chaucer during his time. However, he was able to influence later historical events through his literary works. The tales of the Canterbury is book that is most recognizable of all his works and has earned the reputation of the father of English literature (Chaucer 6). In this, book Chaucer tells the story that pilgrims told each other as they travelled to the shrine of Saint Thomas Becket at Canterbury cathedral (Wetherbee 123). These stories point ironic pictures of the church and have implicit warnings about morality, marriage and life. The development of Geoffrey Chaucer’s works came in three stages French, Italian and English (Rudd, 7). His works were translated from the French language or based on French models, which later evolved into Italian and later on into English. He contributed to the development of the English literature because his works were published in the English language. The works of Geoffrey Chaucer influenced writers such as William Shakespeare and other English writers. His pioneer work in English literature made it to be accepted as a literary language apart from Latin and French. In the Canterbury tales, Chaucer uses a warm tone toward the church (Rudd 3). The impact that religion had on his writing was later adopted by the great English writer William Shakespeare. His ability to include religion and matters of faith in his writings were seen in his writings. Conclusion Before the renaissance period, literary works were expressed in French and Latin language only. The renaissance otherwise known as the rebirth was able to influence the culture and way of life of most of Europe. Writes such as Geoffrey Chaucer had made an impact on literature even before that period actually came to be. He was a writer, philosopher and poet who pioneered the use of the English language in literature. Nothing is known of the exact date that he was born because no documentation has ever been found to this effect. He and his wife were in the service of the royal family when they met and eventually married. Initially his work had French and Italian influences because of the influence of these two cultures. Due to the nature of his work, he had travelled in these two countries and so had experienced first hand what the culture was like. His first poem in English though was as result of tragic event that had taken place. The duchess had passed on and was requested to write a poem in English. Since the woman was a member of high society, the poem was sophisticated and intelligent giving her a befitting memorial. This public display now gave him the fortitude to forge ahead with his writing and he later on wrote the unfinished work of the tales of Canterbury. His literary works have earned the title of father of English literature because he was able to influence other great writers and put English literature on the map at a time when it was unpopular. References Bloom, Harold. Geoffrey Chaucer. London. InfoBase Publishing, 2007. Bloom, Harold. The Italian renaissance. New York. InfoBase Publishing, 2004. Chaucer, Geoffrey and Benson, Larry. The riverside Chaucer. Oxford. Oxford University Press, 2008. Chaucer, Geoffrey. Canterbury Tales. London: Read Books, 2008. Gouwens, Kenneth. The Italian renaissance: the essential sources. New York. Blackwell Publishing, 2003. Halleck Reuben. History of American Literature. London: Echo Library, 2006. Reynolds, George & Greever, Garland. The fact and background of literature: English and American. London: Kessinger Publishing, 2005. Rudd Gillian. Geoffrey Chaucer. London. Routledge Publishers, 2001. Rudd, Gillian. The complete critical guide to Geoffrey Chaucer. London: Routledge Publishers. 2001. Wetherbee, Winthrop. Geoffrey Chaucer: the Canterbury tales. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More