Geoffrey Chaucer
 
 
...I think some of Chaucer belongs to his time and that much of 
that time is dead, extinct, and never to be made alive again.  
What was alive in it, lives through him..._ 
 
                                        --John Masefield 
 
 Geoffrey Chaucers world was the Europe of the fourteenth 
century. It was neither rich or poor, happy nor sad.  Rather, it 
was the intermingling of these, a mixture of splendor and 
poverty, displaying both worldly desire and spiritual purity.  
Chaucers travels through it, mostly on the Kings business,_ or 
civil service, shaped his writing, offering the readers of today 
a brief glimpse into the world in which he lived. 
 Chaucer lived from approximately AD 1340 to 1400.  The world in 
which he lived was not one of peace or stability.  Born the son 
of a London vintner, he remained a Londoner for most of the rest 
of his life, leaving the city only on the Kings business_. 
 The city of London was thus Chaucers environment for most of 
his life.  Aside from brief visits into other countries or areas 
of England, he remained in the city, and its affects on his 
writing was immense. 
 London of that time was not the London of today.  It was a 
walled city, guarded against invasion, but long enough time had 
passed since such a threat had approached that the defenses had 
loosened.  Houses perched upon the walls, and Chaucer in fact, 
lived for a time in a house built over Aldgate, (one of the gates 
of the city). 
 London was a city less than three-quarters of a square mile in 
size: It ran east and west along the Thames less than one and a 
half miles, and extended northwards less than half a mile.  Over 
20,000 people were packed into this small area; the diversity of 
the inhabitants was overwhelming.  Londoners ranged from wealthy 
to impoverished, from small to large, from shoemaker to 
blacksmith to minstrel to priest.  The city was thus fairly 
close.  Stone building mingled with tile, wood, and thatch.  
While the major streets were fairly wide, small shops and stands 
often spread out into the road, effectively narrowing it by up to 
half its width.  London Bridge (the only bridge in the city) was 
home to a multitude of homes and shops, perched on top of the 
span to conserve space. 
 Waste was disposed of simply.  It was emptied out the windows 
into the alley or street and slaughtering was done in he streets 
as well, with scraps being tossed underfoot.  Hogs were often 
used to keep the streets clean, but were assisted by wild dogs 
and scavenger birds. Open sewers ran through the streets and into 
the Thames. 
 Most of the rest of Chaucers life was open at the courts of the 
king of England.  Here a startling change was apparent.  The 
filth of the streets disappeared, to be replaced by the splendor 
so often associated with royalty. 
 The royal court of England was home to many in Chaucers time. 
Courtiers, pages, knights, nobles, princes, and of course the 
King and Queen.  Chaucer rose through the ranks of the kings 
men, experiencing all aspects of court life.  He was a page, 
squire, court-bard, counselor and finally courtier to various 
monarchs.  
 Many kings rose an fell in his lifetime.  Chaucer began his life 
in the kings service in the reign of Edward III, and performed 
his service a long while.  He was important enough to Edward that 
he was personally ransomed after being captured by the French in 
the war between Edward and Charles, an honor usually reserved for 
nobles.  By 1378 Edward III had died, and Chaucer was the man of 
Richard II. The country was caught up in a political battle 
between the nobles of Gloucester and Lancaster.  The actions of 
these two nobles sent Chaucer reeling , his world constantly 
changing about him. 
 The only stable item in Chaucers world was religion.  The 
institution of religion, the church, was quite prominent and 
visible. Cathedrals dotted the cities of the world, and even the 
smallest town had a church. 
 The glory of the Church may even have outshone that of the royal 
court.  Cathedrals were brilliant with magnificent carvings, 
statues of precious metals murals, holy artifacts, and many other 
gleaming treasures.  Even the smallest church was home to some 
splendor.  The glory of the church, and the power it put forth 
over the population made it a major political power of the time.  
 Chaucer was born in the early 1340s.  Very little is known 
about the first stage of his life.  However, two items are fairly 
certain.  It appears that Chaucer was the son of a London vintner 
and relatively strong evidence supports that he attended one of 
three grammar-schools: either St.Pauls, St. Mary-le-Bows or St.  
Martin-le-Grands. 
 Aside from this slim bit of information details of Chaucers 
early life are few.  The next reliable bit of information places 
him at around the age of fourteen, a page in the household of the 
wife of Prince Lionel, the second son of Edward III.  He held 
this position for some time. 
 Chaucers first appearance into the kings business appeared in 
October of 1360, when he carried letters from Calais to England 
during peace negotiations there.  For this service he held the 
official title of clerk of the king attached to the person of 
Prince Lionel. 
 In this way, Chaucer began his life of service to his king.  In 
1368, Chaucer was awarded a royal reward for a long and valued 
service to his job.  His actual duties during this period were 
apparently fairly hazy.  He served as a sort of jack of all 
trades.  The only thing we know about Chaucers life between 1358 
and 1367 is that he was imprisoned in France, during the hundred 
years war, and was ransomed in March of 1360, for a rather large 
sum.  In this time Chaucer also married Philippa Roet, lady in 
waiting to the Queen.  She bore at least two children, Thomas and 
Lyte Lowys,_ a child who was delighted in arithmetic. 
 Between 1368 and 1387, Chaucer undertook nearly a dozen 
diplomatic missions to Flanders, France, and Italy.  Most were 
important, many were so secret that they were not mentioned in 
the histories of the time at all.  In 1381, Chaucer was sent to 
deal with marriage negotiations between Richard II and the 
daughter of the French King.  While Chaucer was not on diplomatic 
missions, he was performing his duties in the position for which 
he is best known, the Kings Custom Service.  From 1374 to 1386, 
he was the comptroller of London.  When he was removed from the 
post in 1386 he was instead granted the title Knight of the 
Shire_, an important Parliament post, and later was placed as the 
Clerk of the Kings works at Westminster, the Tower, and other 
royal property in South England.  Chaucers final post in the 
Kings service was that of the keeper of the small royal forest 
of North Pertherton.  He held this post twice, from 1390 to 1391, 
and from 1397 to 1398.  
 In 1399, he settled in Westminster.  On Christmas Eve he leased, 
for fifty-three years, the garden of the monks of Westminster, to 
live in. However, he did not live long to enjoy his retirement.  
Geoffrey Chaucer died in October 25, 1400. 
 In a time when literacy was a luxury affordable only by the very 
wealthy and powerful, Chaucers writings stand out as unique.  
The main language of literature of the time was Latin.  Literacy 
and fluency in Latin were taught as early as literacy in English.  
In fact, many people could read Latin yet had treat difficulty 
figuring out the simplest English sentences. 
 What little literature was not written in Latin was written in 
French.  Latin and French poetry was widely recognized as being 
the only real literature of any worth.  This of course, makes 
Chaucers works even more unusual.  Unlike most of the other 
writers of the time, Chaucer wrote his works in English.  It was 
read in English to the Royal Court upon completion. 
 Chaucers writing career was not completely original nor free of 
influences.  His first works borrowed heavily form French and 
Latin poems, and it was only later that some of his works became 
more original.  For example, Chaucers first recorded poem (the 
Book of the Duchess) the opening lines are simply translations of 
the openings of Froissarts Paradys dAmour.  While this is the 
most obvious use of the French poem, other  nstances reminiscent 
of the work appear throughout Chaucers poem.  In the first part 
of Chaucers career as a writer, it can be seen that his writing 
is restricted by a style made popular at the time by French 
poetry.  
 As in the prominent French poetry of the time, the Book 
demonstrates a love for detail and description.  Chaucer never 
quite escapes the French influences in his writing but escapes 
some areas of French style. 
 It was not until Chaucer began writing his most well-known work 
The Canterbury Tales, that he did this.  Until this work, his 
writings were simply translations of old myths, or barely 
original poems written to fit the standards of French style.  
Chaucer wished to write something more ambitious, original, and 
memorable.  The Canterbury Tales was the result.  Chaucers style 
of writing in The Canterbury Tales is quite different from his 
earlier works.  Hidden within  the stories of the Pilgrims are 
sermons and scoldings about the world he knew, and the evils he 
saw within it.  The Canterbury Tales have no single style 
throughout, to which each shorter story is fit.  Rather, Chaucer 
gives each section of the poem its own style.  In fact, the 
over-ruling style of Chaucers last work seems to be no style at 
all, each work is written to fit the subject. 
 Chaucer worked throughout his life to break away from the molds 
which society had set about poetry in general, and his work in 
specific. Instead of forging beautifully crafted lies and tales 
about society, his poetry held up a mirror to reflect reality as 
he saw it. 
 Chaucers growth out of the mold imposed by tradition is 
illustrated by the steady departure of it in his writings.  And 
his final works, escaping at last form the accepted style, set 
the stage for the beginnings of English literature. 
 
Bibliography 
 
Chute, Marchette. Geoffrey Chaucer of England. New York:   E.P. 
Dutton & Co, 1946. 
 
  Word Count: 1798