Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400)
Author of The Canterbury Tales
About the Author
Geoffrey Chaucer, one of England's greatest poets, was born in London about 1340, the son of a wine merchant and deputy to the king's butler and his wife Agnes. Not much is known of Chaucer's early life and education, other than he learned to read French, Latin, and Italian. His experiences as a show more civil servant and diplomat are said to have developed his fascination with people and his knowledge of English life. In 1359-1360 Chaucer traveled with King Edward III's army to France during the Hundred Years' War and was captured in Ardennes. He returned to England after the Treaty of Bretigny when the King paid his ransom. In 1366 he married Philippa Roet, one of Queen Philippa's ladies, who gave him two sons and two daughters. Chaucer remained in royal service traveling to Flanders, Italy, and Spain. These travels would all have a great influence on his work. His early writing was influenced by the French tradition of courtly love poetry, and his later work by the Italians, especially Dante, Boccaccio, and Petrarch. Chaucer wrote in Middle English, the form of English used from 1100 to about 1485. He is given the designation of the first English poet to use rhymed couplets in iambic pentameter and to compose successfully in the vernacular. Chaucer's Canterbury Tales is a collection of humorous, bawdy, and poignant stories told by a group of fictional pilgrims traveling to the shrine of St. Thomas a Becket. It is considered to be among the masterpieces of literature. His works also include The Book of the Duchess, inspired by the death of John Gaunt's first wife; House of Fame, The Parliament of Fowls, and The Legend of Good Women. Troilus and Criseyde, adapted from a love story by Boccaccio, is one of his greatest poems apart from The Canterbury Tales. Chaucer died in London on October 25, 1400. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, in what is now called Poet's Corner. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Illustration from Cassell's History of England - Century Edition - published circa 1902.
Via Wikipedia.
Via Wikipedia.
Series
Works by Geoffrey Chaucer
Troilus and Cressida and The Canterbury tales. With modern English versions of both works (1952) 374 copies
The Canterbury tales; the Prologue and four tales, with the Book of the duchess and six lyrics, (1930) 134 copies
Chaucer : the prologue, the knightes tale the nonne preestes tale from the Canterbury tales (1878) 88 copies
The Canterbury Tales: Seventeen Tales and the General Prologue (Norton Critical Editions) (2018) 43 copies
Reading Chaucer: An Interlinear Translation of Selections in The Norton Antology of English Literature (2006) 27 copies
The Reeve's Prologue and Tale with the Cook's Prologue and the Fragment of his Tale (1979) 18 copies
A Variorum Edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Volume V: The Minor Poems, Part One (1982) 13 copies
Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol. III: The House of Fame: The Legend of Good Women, The Treatise on the… (2008) 13 copies
The Poetical Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Volume 3: The Canterbury Tales. From the text of Professor Skeat. (1910) 13 copies
Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol. I: Romaunt of the Rose, Minor Poems (in seven volumes) (2003) 12 copies
Five Canterbury Tales: Level 1: 400-Word Vocabulary Five Canterbury Tales (Dominoes, Level One) (2010) 12 copies
Complete Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Vol. VII: Chaucerian and Other Pieces, Being A Supplement to the Complete Works of… (1897) 11 copies
The General Prologue & The Physician's Tale: In Middle English & In Modern Verse Translation (2006) 10 copies
The Canterbury Tales and Faerie Queene: With Other Poems of Chaucer and Spencer. Edited for Popular Perusal, with… (1874) — Author — 9 copies
The Poems of Chaucer 8 copies
Chaucer 8 copies
The prioresses tale, Sir Thopas, the Monkes tale, the Clerkes tale, the Squieres tale, from the Canterbury tales (2007) 8 copies
The Tale of the Man of lawe;: The Pardoneres tale; the Second nonnes tale; the Chanouns yemannes tale, from the… (1879) 7 copies
The Reeve's Tale 7 copies
The Canterbury Tales: A Facsimile and Transcription of the Hengwrt Manuscript, with Variations from the Ellesmere… (1979) 7 copies
Reading & Training : Geoffrey Chaucer : The Canterbury Tales [book + sound recording] (2007) — Writer — 7 copies
The Canon Yeoman's Prologue and Tale: From the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (Selected Tales from Chaucer) (1965) 6 copies
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (Selected): An Interlinear Translation — Author — 6 copies
An ABC 5 copies
The Programmed Classics (13 Volume Set (Canterbury Tales, Crime & Punishment, Complete works of William Shakespeare… (1968) — Contributor — 4 copies
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: Annotated and Accented, With Illustrations of English Life in Chaucers Time (Classic… (1845) 4 copies
The Canterbury tales I & II 4 copies
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales for the Modern Reader prepared & edited by Arthur Burrell (1929) 3 copies
El parlamento de las aves y otras visiones del sueno/ The parliament of the birds and other dream visions (Biblioteca… (2006) 3 copies
Två Canterbury sägner 3 copies
The Works 1532, With Supplementary Material from the Editions of 1542, 1561, 1598 and 1602 (1969) 3 copies
Geoffrey Chaucer Canterbury Tales 2 copies
The Caterbury Tales 2 copies
The Canterbury Tales (Penguin Popular Classics) by Geoffrey Chaucer (24-Feb-2011) Paperback (1600) 2 copies
The Canterbury Tales [with] The Golden Cockerel Press, The Canterbury Tales and Eric Gill, An Essay By Peter Holliday (2010) 2 copies
The Friar'S, Summoner'S, and Pardoner's Tales from the Canterbury Tales (Medieval and Renaissance Texts) (1975) 2 copies
The Canterbury Tales With Side-By-Side Modern English Translation (Classic Retold With Side-By-Side Translation Book 1) (2015) 2 copies
Chaucer's Troylus and Cryseyde (from the Harl. ms. 3943) compared with Boccaccio's Filostrato (1976) 2 copies
Canterbury Tales, Dent, London '89 2 copies
Truth {poem} 2 copies
The Shipman's Tale 2 copies
The Pierpont Morgan Library Manuscript M.817: A Facsimile (The Facsimile Series of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer ; V.… (1986) 2 copies
The Wife of Bath: Complete, Authoritative Text With Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays… (1996) 2 copies
The story of Patient Grisilde 2 copies
Gentilesse {poem} 2 copies
The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer, Selected and Ed. By Edwin Johnston Howard [and] Gordon Don (1947) 2 copies
Poems By Geoffrey Chaucer 1 copy
Canterbury Tales, A6 1 copy
Opowieści kanterberyjskie 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales I 1 copy
カンタベリ物語〈上〉 (ちくま文庫) — Author — 1 copy
Persuasion 1 copy
A first Chaucer 1 copy
Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. The Prologue. Edited with introduction and notes by Alfred W. Pollard 1 copy
Boece 1 copy
Short poems 1 copy
The Canturbury Tales 1 copy
Chaucer's Dream 1 copy
Poetical Works 1 copy
The Ellesmere Chaucer 1 copy
The College Chaucer 1 copy
CHAUCER The Pardoner's Tale 1 copy
Historias de Chaucer 1 copy
The Count of Monte Cristo; The Canterbury Tales(3); Vanity Fair (The 100 Greatest Books Ever Written) (1990) 1 copy
Burlesque Plays and Poems 1 copy
Chaucer's A.B.C. 1 copy
The Assembly of Fowls 1 copy
The Court of Love 1 copy
The Miller's Tale 1 copy
The Prioress's Tale 1 copy
The Book of the Duchess 1 copy
Canterburysägner I 1 copy
Canterburysägner II 1 copy
Prologue and Knightes Tale 1 copy
The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales: The Romaunt of the Rose, and Minor Poems (Classic Reprint) (2017) 1 copy
The Man of Law"s Tale, the Nun"s Priest"s Tale, the Squire"s Tale. [The King"s Classics] (1904) 1 copy
Oxford Student Texts: 10 book pack (The Pardoners Tale / The Rape of Lock / The Duchess of Malfi / Keats Selected… (2010) 1 copy
A comprehensive list of textual comparison between Blake's and Robinson's editions of The Canterbury tales (1995) 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales of Geoffrey Chaucer: A New Text with Illustrative Notes, Volume 1 (2010) 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales (Longman Classics, Stage 2) Simplified edition by Geoffrey Chaucer (1989) Paperback (1707) 1 copy
The Three Cuckolds. [Subtitle]: Out of Chaucer in modern prose renderingby Willis L. Parker. Privately issued for… (1932) 1 copy
Miller's Tale -- Prologue 1 copy
Clásicos bruguera 1 copy
The Monk's Tale 1 copy
Chaucer. The prologue & ... the Prioress's tale. - The nun's priest's tale. - The pardoner's tale 1 copy
The Second Nun's Tale 1 copy
Tale Of Sir Thopas 1 copy
The Friar's Tale 1 copy
The Cook's Tale 1 copy
Specimen extracts from the nine known unprinted mss. of Chaucer's "Troilus" and from Caxton's and… 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales (Book on Tape) (The Nun's Priest's Tale/ The Knight's Tale, 2 Cassettes) (1983) 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales (2 cassettes) (The Prologue and the Pardoner's Prologue and Tale (Read in Middle English) (1978) 1 copy
Great Books 22 1 copy
The clerk of Oxford's tale 1 copy
Chaucer's Canterbury tales: The squire's tale. Edited with introd. and notes by A.W. Pollard (2011) 1 copy
The Indispensable Chaucer 1 copy
Canterburyn kertomuksia 1 copy
Chaucer Complete Works 1 copy
Canterbury Tales, Volume 2 1 copy
December 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer, Vol. 2: To Which Are Added, an Essay on His Language and Versification, an… (2017) 1 copy
The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer, Vol. 4: With an Essay Upon His Language and Versification, an Introductory Discourse,… (2015) 1 copy
The Poetical Works of Geoff. Chaucer: The Miscellaneous Pieces from Urry'S Edition 1721 : The Canterbury Tales from… (2012) 1 copy
Associated Works
The Best Poems of the English Language: From Chaucer Through Robert Frost (2004) — Contributor — 1,042 copies
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 915 copies
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 1: From the Epic of Gilgamesh to Shakespeare to Dangerous Liaisons (2012) — Contributor — 278 copies
Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Vol. 1: The Individual and Human Values (1964) — Contributor — 40 copies
Floure and the Leafe, the Assembly of Ladies, the Isle of Ladies (1990) — mis-attribution, some editions — 33 copies
Lapham's Quarterly - Lines of Work: Volume IV, Number 2, Spring 2011 (2011) — Contributor — 29 copies
The Graphic Canon of Crime & Mystery, Vol. 2: From Salome to Edgar Allan Poe to The Silence of the Lambs (2021) — Contributor — 14 copies
Oogst der tijden : keur uit de werken van schrijvers en dichters aller volken en eeuwen (1940) — Contributor — 10 copies
The tale of Gamelyn : from the Harleian ms. no. 7334, collated with six other mss. (1884) — Attribution, some editions — 7 copies
Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosphiæ." (0014) — Translator, some editions — 5 copies
Spøgelseshistorier fra hele verden — Contributor, some editions — 3 copies
Great Poems from Chaucer to Whitman — Contributor — 3 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Chaucer, Geoffrey
- Birthdate
- 1343 (circa)
- Date of death
- 1400-10-25
- Burial location
- Westminster Abbey, London, England, UK (Poet's Corner)
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- London, England
- Place of death
- London, England
- Places of residence
- Gatehouse, Aldgate, London, England
- Occupations
- poet
philosopher
bureaucrat
diplomat
civil servant
soldier (show all 10)
esquire (King Edward III's household)
comptroller (Customs and Subsidy of Wools, Skins, and Tanned Hides)
translator
clerk (of the King's Works) - Relationships
- Gower, John (amic)
- Awards and honors
- Knight of the Shire (Kent)
Members
Discussions
OT: Chaucer collection goes online in Fine Press Forum (October 2023)
Folio Archives 341: Troilus and Criseyde by Geoffrey Chaucer – LIMITED EDITION 2011 in Folio Society Devotees (September 2023)
Folio Archives 323: The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer 1990 in Folio Society Devotees (July 2023)
LE Canterbury Tales in Folio Society Devotees (June 2023)
Kelmscott Chaucer - Easton Press vs. Bradford Exchange side by side comparison in Easton Press Collectors (December 2022)
Kelmscott Chaucer in Fine Press Forum (November 2022)
Reviews
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Unread books (1)
Best First Lines (1)
Poetry Corner (1)
Ambleside Y2 (1)
Shaking a Leg (1)
Metafiction (1)
Ambleside Books (2)
Elegant Prose (1)
Folio Society (3)
A Reading List (1)
Western Canon (1)
Western Canon (1)
Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 392
- Also by
- 45
- Members
- 40,869
- Popularity
- #430
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 364
- ISBNs
- 1,013
- Languages
- 24
- Favorited
- 105