Chaucer's Literary Career
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Chaucer symbolises as no other writer does in the Middle Ages. He stands in much the same relation to the life of his time as Pope does to the earlier phases of the 18th century, and Tennyson to the Victorian era. His place in English literature is even more important than theirs, for he is the first to make our composite language a thing compact and vital.
Dryden rightly called Chaucer "The Father of English Poetry and held him the highest reverence. Ifor Evans goes one step ahead to remark." Modern poetry begins with Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400), diplomat soldier and scholar. He was filled by both natural genius and the circumstances of life to become the most technical accomplished and the most universally appealing of mediaeval English writers and indeed one of the most skillful and attractive English writer of any period.
When Chaucer was still in his teens he was appointed in the service of Lionel, afterwords Duke of Clarence. At 19 he accompanied Duke of Clarence on one of the several expenditions of 100 years war. From 1370-1378 Chaucer was set to foreign countries on diplomatic mission. In 1372 he was sent to Italy to settle a commercial treaty with Geona and Florance.
In Italy he came into direct contact with France and Italian man of letters (Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio) and enriching his knowledge of the literature. He dived in the wide ocean of Italian Literature to return with jewels to embellish his narratives. From his Italianization palgrave opines, "Chaucer derived a variety of range, heightening style and improvement, he was honoured with an office to be filled by him." Tracing his literary for some 30 years Edward Albert writes that it is now customary to divide the Chaucerean poems into three stages:
1. French Period (1359-1379)
2. Italian Period (1379-1385)
3. English Period (1386-1400)
FRENCH PERIOD (1359-1372)
While an esquire to Edward III, he first began to write and a prayer to the Virgine, ABC, which is declared by many to be his first extent poem. Chaucer's early poetic attempts were fashioned after the French masters. He seems to have learnt a great deal of elementary things by following Guillaunt de Lorris (Jean de Meun). His subdued irony, zest for life and for character were learnt from the French poets. The most notable works written during this period is 'The Romaunt of the Rose', a long allegorical poem consisting of 8000 lines and composed in octosyllabic couplets which was based on Le Romaunt de la Rose of Guillaunt de Lorris and Jean de Meun. Other poems include 'The Book of the Duchess' (1369) written on the death of the wife of John of Gaunt.
ITALIAN PERIOD (1372-1384)
In 1372 Chaucer had been to Italy and come in personal contact with Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio. The chief of the second or Italian period is 'Troilus and Criseyde' (1380-1383) a poem of 8200 lines adopted from Boccaccio. 'The House of Fame' is a poem of octosyllabic couplets is an allegory. For the conception of the poem, Chaucer was indebt to Ovid, Dante and Virgil. Wyatt and Collins wrote 'The House of Fame' again strikes a note of promise in descriptive piwer. The third great work of this period is 'Legend of Good Woman.' Perhaps the best two other poems of the period that deserve mention are Anelida and Arcite. The parliament of Fowls. The story of constance and The Man of Law's Tale'.
ENGLISH PERIOD (1384-1390)
To the English period extending 1384-1390 belongs to Chaucer's masterpiece and monumental work 'The Canterbury Tales.' For the general ideas and plan of tales, Chaucer was indebted to Boccaccio but the execution and management of the tales is thoroughly in English. In 'The Canterbury Tales' Chaucer undertook the study contemporary English society, and turns poetry with tolerant curiosity and genial humour to the study of men and manners of his times.
According to the Sampson, "The Canterbury Tales supply a miniature or microcosm, not only society and of English Poetry upto their date but of mediaeval literature, barring the strictly lyrical element and admitting a part only of the didactic, but enlarged or enriched the additional doses, both of the personal element and of that general criticism of life which except in Dante had really been present." In these tales Chaucer lays the seeds of modern drama and modern novel, which are rich in dramatic activity and sound in characterization.
During three well-marked periods of of his life the French division is not only very largely second hand but is full of obvious tentative experiment. In the Italian period he has gained very much in the respect. Here we have a voice of an individual if not yet a consummate poet. In the third on English period all this is over. 'Here is God's plenty" as Dryden admirably said and the poet is the steward of the God of Poets and not the mere interpreter of some other poets. "He has his own choice of subject, his own grasp of character and his diction and plot. He is at home." (W.J. Long)
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