The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
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The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
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1340?-1400
English poet and civil servant who wrote the literary classic The Canterbury Tales, among other works, and held numerous government posts during the reigns of Edward III, Richard II, and Henry IV. Fluent in French (the language of the wine trade), Chaucer held royal appointments as customs controller, forester, and clerk of the king's works. He also went on (sometimes secret) diplomatic missions to France and Italy, where he discovered and assimilated the works of Boccaccio, Dante, and Petrarch. This experience, combined with his acute powers of observation, humor, and discernment, allowed Chaucer to capture the complexity, vitality, variety, and contradictions of the medieval world in his writings, which are still vivid after six centuries.