The Age of Chaucer (1340-1400)

The Age of Chaucer (1340-1400)

The political and social background

The age of Chaucer was an age of Transition. Here the word transition means change and transformation. It was an age of transformation from middle age to modern age. It was the meeting ground of two ages- The medieval and the Modern Age. Chaucer has presented the sprite of both the ages in his poetry. It was the time when medieval age had passed away and the new age of modern world had started. 

The Hundred Years War (1338)

The Hundred Years War is an important incident in the age of Chaucer. It was the age of conflicts between France and England. It is known as The Hundred Years' War. During the reign of Edward-3, England got victories in the battlefields of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt.

The Black Death (1348)

The outbreak of the Plagueis known as 'The Black Death'. It occurred in 1348 during the reign of Edward-3 in England. Half of the total population had died during the black death. The condition of the poor and ordinary people was very bad at that time.

The Peasants' Revolt (1381)

It was the time when there was social strife between the landlords and the peasants. It has resulted in the bloody Peasants' Revolt in 1381. After the black death, there was an acute shortage of labourers. Therefore the labourers were demanding for higher wages but the landlords did not want to accept it. They wanted to suppress the voice of peasants with the help of legislation. As a result, the peasants' revolt started against landlords.

The condition of women

The condition of women was not very good during the age of Chaucer. They were considered inferior to men. The women from poor families had to work hard and women from rich families enjoyed their life only by marriage. Child marriage was also in vogue at that time. 

The condition of Church

The condition of the church was also not very good. It had become the place of corruption. Materialism also had spread in the church. The religious persons of the church had become materialistic. They spent their time in trivial activities instead of religious activities. Chaucer has described the bad condition of the church in his 'Prologue' impressively. He has presented the virtues and vices of religious persons in his'Prologue'. 

Thus the 14th century is also known as the age of Chaucer. Chaucer has shown all the tendencies of the age in his poetry very well. As we all know that literature is the mirror of society. Chaucer also has represented the age in his works faithfully.             

 

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Geoffrey Chaucer 

Born around 1342 in London walled city, nearby Westminster.

His father and grand father were wine merchants, but Geoffrey Chaucer became a king's man, a professional royal.

He has served on different posts in his life which includes collector of customs and of the king's clerk work.

He was also a diplomate who travelled on the kings business often to France, once to Spain, twice to Italy.

                        Work:

His work fall into three periods

1. First period.  During his first period he was under the influence of French work. In this period he imitated French models and translate some French works.

The most famous work of this period was the translation of the famous poem" Le Roman de la rose" which he translated as Romanent of the Rose"

2nd period: The poem of the second period show the influence of Italian literature, especially of Dante's Divine comedy and Boccaccio's poems . The most famous important work of this period is the parlement of Fowels.

Third period:  Chaucer third period may be called the English period. In this period we can see native originally in his work. The most famous work at this period is Canterbury Tales and prologue to the Canterbury Tales.

Canterbury Tales: 

It is the masterpiece of Chaucer and one of the most famous work in all literature. In Canterbury Tales Chaucer has given us a picture of contemporary English life . A Group of thirty piligrams are on the way to the shrine of St.Thomas Backet in Canterbury. The inkeeper propose a tale telling game to pass the time on two day ride to the Shrine. The thirty piligrims are each to tell two tales on the way and two tales on the way back.

             The piligrams tells twenty four tales of popular kind, saint lives, animals fabels, allegory, satires , and the coarse human of the common people. Though all but two were written in verse and abound in exquisite poetical touches , they are stories as well as poems and Chaucer is to be regarded as our first short story teller as well as our first modern poet.

           Prologue to Canterbury Tales: 

In this famous "Prologue" the poet makes us acquainted with the various character of his drama. Untill Chaucer day popular literature had been busy chiefly with the gods and hero's of a golden age ; but in this prologue we are introduced with common people .this description of these character is very realistic that reader recognize them, not as ideal hero's, but as his own neighbors .............