CHAUCER

“THE FATHER OF
ENGLISH POETRY”
Serena Grieco e Maddalena Di
Nardo
LIFE
• HE WAS BORN IN LONDON IN
1343 ;
• HE WORKED FOR THE
ENGLISH COURT ;
• HE TRAVELLED A LOT
BECAUSE HE SPOKE
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ;
• HE WENT TO FRANCE AND
ITALY ;
• AT THE END OF HIS LIFE HE
RENTED A HOUSE IN THE
GARDEN OF WESTMINSTER
ABBEY ;
• HE DIED IN 1400 AND WAS
BURIED IN THE ABBEY.
INFLUENCES
• WHEN HE WENT TO ITALY IN
DIPLOMATIC MISSION HE
BECAME FAMILIAR WITH
ITALIAN LITERATURE ;
• HE MENTIONED ITALIAN
WRITERS DANTE AND
PETRARCH BUT NEVER
BOCCACCIO ;
• PROBABLY HE IMITATED THE
FRAME OF BOCCACCIO’S
DECAMERON AND A TALE “THE
STORY OF GRISELDA”.
PRODUCTIONS
• HIS PRODUCTION IS DIVIDED
IN THREE PERIODS :
• FRENCH PERIOD , DURING
WHICH HE TRANSLATED “LE
ROMAN DE LA ROSE”;
• ITALIAN PERIOD , DURING
WHICH HE WROTE “TROYLUS
AND CRISEYDE”;
• ENGLISH PERIOD , WHICH IS
CONSIDERED THE MOST
IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE
COMPOSED HIS MASTERPIECE
“ THE CANTERBURY TALES”.
THE CANTERBURY TALES
• IT IS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF CHAUCER;
• IT IS A COLLECTION OF VERSE TALES WRITTEN IN MIDDLE ENGLISH;
• THE FRAME IS A PILIGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF THOMAS BECKET
IN CANTERBURY;
• THERE ARE 30 PILIGRIMS, INCLUDING CHAUCER, AND THEY GATHER
IN “THE TABARD INN”, EACH OF THEM HAD TOTELL TWO TALES ON
THE ROAD FROM LONDON TO CANTERBURY, AND TWO ON THE WAY
BACK;
• HIS INITIAL IDEA WAS TO HAVE 120 TALES, BUT WE HAVE ONLY 23
TALES;
THE PILGRIMS
• THE PILGRIMS CAME FROM THE
MIDDLE CLASS ;
• NOBLES AND POOR PEOPLE
WERE EXCLUDED, NOBLES
BECAUSE THEY HAD MONEY AND
MEANS OF TRANSPORTS, POOR
PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAD NOT
MONEY TO PAY THE JOURNEY.
• CHAUCER’S PILGRIMS STRIKE US
FOR THEIR VARIETY : SOME OF
THEM ARE CONNECTED WITH THE
FEUDAL SYSTEM ( THE NIGHT,THE
SQUIRE…) , OTHERS RELATE TO
THE WORLD OF THE CHURCH (THE
NUN,THE MONK, THE PARSON…) ,
YET OTHERS ARE
REPRESENTATIVES OF
PROFESSIONAL MIDDLE CLASS
( THE LAWYER, THE MERCHANT,
THE STUDENT, THE WIFE OF
BATH…).
 THE WIFE OF BATH

• SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST VIVID CHARACTERS IN THE CANTERBURY

TALES, SHE CAME FROM BATH , AN ENGLISH TOWN ;
• SHE WAS AN AGED MIDDLE CLASS WOMEN, SHE MADE CLOTHES;
• ACCORDING TO THE DESCRIPTION OF CHAUCER SHE WAS VERY
SENSUAL : IN FACT SHE WORN RED CLOTHES, HER FACE WAS VERY BOLD,
SHE HAD GAP-TEETH ( WHICH WAS A SIGN OF  BEING AN“EASY WOMAN”)
SHE HAD LARGE HIPS AND FINALLY SHE HAD MARRIED FIVE HUSBANDS
ALL AT THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH;
• SHE ATTENDS THE CHURCH TO SHOW HER COSTLY DRESSES,
• SHE WAS AS HONOURED THAT NOBODY DAME DARED STIR TOWARDS THE
ALTAR STEPS IN FRONT OF HER;
• SHE TRAVELLED A LOT, SHE HAD BEEN TO JERUSALEM, BOLOUGNE, ST.
• JAMES OF COMPOSTELLA AND ROME;
• IN COMPANY SHE LOVED TO LAUGH AND CHAT AND KNEW THE REMEDY
OF LOVE.