Geoffrey Chaucer1340? - 1400

Ms. N. Croney

Geoffrey Chaucer

Facts

Born in London Middle ages was

coming to a close Family was well off Family made wine and

leather trade

The name Chaucer comes from the French word for shoemaker (surname)

Was an attendant to Prince Lionel (son of King Edward III)

More Facts

With Prince Lionel, Chaucer learned the customs of the upper-class

As a teenager he joined the king’s army.

Fought in the Hundred Years’ War

He became a diplomat He was influenced by

Dante, Petrarch, and a few of the other French and Italian writers while traveling.

As a Writer

Last two decades of his life were his best for writing

The Canterbury Tales is the most famous– A collection of verse and prose tales of many

different kinds– Began organizing in 1387– Was unfinished at the time of his death (20,000

lines)

Honored in death

Buried in London’s Westminster Abbey 1566 marble tomb for his remains

What’s the big deal

During his time the educated spoke French. Chaucer was one of the first writers to show

that English could be a respectable literary language.

Cornerstone of English literature

Symbolism

A symbol is a person, place, object, or activity that stands for something beyond itself.

What does this stand for

And this…

What about this…

Finally…

Now your turn

Think of something that is symbolic to you. Show your symbol to someone else without

telling them what it is. What does it mean to them before they know

what it means? Explain what it means to them.

Isn’t if ironic?

Irony is the contrast between what you expect and reality (what you get)– Ex. “Traffic jam when you’re already late”– Ex. “A No Smoking sign on your cigarette break”– Ex. “Ten thousand spoons when all you need is a

knife”– Ex. “It’s like meeting the man of your dream, and

then meeting his beautiful wife.”– (All quotations are from Alanis Morissette)

Tone

The tone of a work expresses the writer’s attitude toward the work’s subject or characters– Can be formal or informal– Can be amused or impatient

Characterization

The means by which a writer develops a character’s personality.– Description of physical appearance– Presentation of speech, thoughts, feelings, and

actions– Presentation of other characters’ speech,

thoughts, feelings, and actions