Picture of author.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400)

Author of The Canterbury Tales

392+ Works 40,869 Members 364 Reviews 105 Favorited
There are 4 open discussions about this author. See now.

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.

Series

Works by Geoffrey Chaucer

The Canterbury Tales (0014) 21,848 copies
The Riverside Chaucer (1369) 1,932 copies
Troilus and Cressida (1374) 1,869 copies
Chanticleer and the Fox (1958) 1,580 copies
Chaucer's Major Poetry (1963) 250 copies
The Knight's Tale (1966) 138 copies
The Portable Chaucer (1949) 135 copies
The Canterbury Tales (2011) — Original work — 106 copies
The Parliament of Birds (1960) 100 copies
Chaucer Reader (1950) 78 copies
The Miller's Tale (1983) 77 copies
The Legend of Good Women (1386) 53 copies
The Book of the Duchess (1532) 46 copies
The Franklin's Tale (1931) 40 copies
Tales from Chaucer (1947) 29 copies
The House of Fame (2013) 23 copies
Chaucer's dream poetry (1997) 20 copies
The Romaunt of the Rose (1999) 13 copies
Tales from Chaucer (1900) 11 copies
Ridder Sox en Koekeloer (1956) 11 copies
Selected Canterbury Tales (2002) 11 copies
The Prioress' Tale (1987) 9 copies
Chaucer 8 copies
The Merchant's Tale (1970) 8 copies
The Parson's Tale (1995) 7 copies
The manciple's tale (1984) 6 copies
Anelida and Arcite (1905) 6 copies
The Wadsworth Chaucer (1986) 6 copies
An ABC 5 copies
The Man of Law's tale (1969) 4 copies
A Choice of Chaucer's Verse (1972) — Author — 4 copies
The Summoner's Tale (1995) 4 copies
Truth {poem} 2 copies
Concubine (e-book) (2009) 2 copies
Verona (2013) 1 copy
Persuasion 1 copy
Boece 1 copy
Short poems 1 copy
The College Chaucer (2007) 1 copy
Chaucer´s Works (2018) 1 copy
Lyrics And Allegory (1971) 1 copy
Geoffrey Chaucer (1991) 1 copy
Works V (2016) 1 copy
December 1 copy

Associated Works

The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms (2000) — Contributor — 1,254 copies
Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama (1995) — Contributor, some editions — 915 copies
English Poetry, Volume I: From Chaucer to Gray (1910) — Contributor — 524 copies
The Oxford Book of English Verse (1999) — Contributor — 469 copies
From the Tower Window (My Book House) (1932) — Contributor — 264 copies
Medieval English Lyrics: A Critical Anthology (1963) — Contributor — 195 copies
The Faber Book of Beasts (1997) — Contributor — 140 copies
The Oxford Book of Villains (1992) — Contributor — 136 copies
Major British Writers, Volumes I and II (1954) — Contributor — 122 copies
The Standard Book of British and American Verse (1932) — Contributor — 114 copies
Great Stories for Young Readers (1969) — Contributor — 90 copies
The Treasury of English Short Stories (1985) — Contributor — 84 copies
Heroic Fantasy Short Stories (Gothic Fantasy) (2017) — Contributor — 79 copies
The Bedside Book of Famous British Stories (1940) — Contributor — 66 copies
A Book of Narrative Verse (1930) — Contributor — 61 copies
The Faber Book of Gardens (2007) — Contributor — 45 copies
Prose and Poetry for Appreciation (1934) — Contributor, some editions — 44 copies
Selected sonnets, odes, and letters (1966) — Translator, some editions — 39 copies
Spring: A Spiritual Biography of the Season (2006) — Contributor — 33 copies
Floure and the Leafe, the Assembly of Ladies, the Isle of Ladies (1990) — mis-attribution, some editions — 33 copies
Masters of British Literature, Volume A (2007) — Contributor — 20 copies
Ellery Queen's Poetic Justice (1967) — Contributor, some editions — 18 copies
The Ribald Reader: 2000 Years of Lusty Love and Laughter (1906) — Contributor — 17 copies
The Fireside Book of Ghost Stories (1947) — Contributor — 16 copies
Trees: A Celebration (1989) — Contributor — 13 copies
Men and Women: The Poetry of Love (1970) — Contributor — 8 copies
Discussions of the Canterbury Tales (1961) — Author — 6 copies
Chaucer's Translation of Boethius's "De Consolatione Philosphiæ." (0014) — Translator, some editions — 5 copies
Famous Stories of Five Centuries (1934) — Contributor — 4 copies
Die Aussprache des Chaucer- Englischen. (1998) — Contributor — 4 copies
Spøgelseshistorier fra hele verden — Contributor, some editions — 3 copies
Great Poems from Chaucer to Whitman — Contributor — 3 copies
El cuento literario (2008) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Court of Venus (1955) — mis-attribution, some editions — 1 copy

Tagged

14th century (638) anthology (529) British (369) British literature (528) Canterbury Tales (166) Chaucer (961) classic (1,134) classic literature (213) classics (1,429) England (467) English (405) English literature (941) English poetry (146) fiction (2,809) Folio Society (204) Geoffrey Chaucer (158) hardcover (109) history (205) humor (122) literary criticism (93) literature (2,000) medieval (1,447) medieval literature (695) Middle Ages (474) Middle English (921) non-fiction (135) own (183) paperback (91) Penguin Classics (126) picture book (138) pilgrimage (128) poetry (4,868) read (269) reference (117) short stories (397) stories (92) textbook (104) to-read (984) translation (151) unread (210)

Common Knowledge

Members

Discussions

OT: Chaucer collection goes online in Fine Press Forum (October 2023)
LE Canterbury Tales in Folio Society Devotees (June 2023)
Kelmscott Chaucer in Fine Press Forum (November 2022)

Reviews

This is THE Chaucer book, it has everything plus helpful comments and annotations. I wish I had the time to read it front to back, but for now I only had the time to read some of the Tales and the Romaunt of the Rose.
 
Flagged
adastra | 17 other reviews | Jan 15, 2024 |
Joseph Glaser's translation of Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales is wonderfully readable and entertaining. His translation makes the work easily accessible to modern readers providing a poetic rhythm and rhyme that hints of Chaucer's own poetry.

The Tales themselves range from the devout to the vulgarly humorous. Most delightful are the characters brought to life within the Tales.
 
Flagged
M_Clark | 167 other reviews | Dec 29, 2023 |
63. Troilus and Criseyde (Broadview Editions) by Geoffrey Chaucer
editors: James McMurrin Dean & Harriet Spiegel (2016)
OPD: 1385
format: 450-page oversized paperback with the original text and notes on the same page.
acquired: April 2022 read: (Aug 26) Sep 8 – Nov 19 time reading: 34:48, 4.6 mpp
rating: 5
genre/style: Middle English epic poetry theme: Chaucer
locations: Troy
about the author: Chaucer (~1342 – October 25, 1400) was an English poet and civil servant.

extended excerpts:
- Le Roman de Troie by Benoît de Sainte-Maure (c1160), translated from French by Robert K. Gordon (1934)
- Il Filostrato by Giovanni Boccaccio (c1340), translated from Italian by Robert K. Gordon (1934)
- The Testament of Cresseid by Robert Henryson (1532). Translated by the editors (2016)
- Metamorphoses by Ovid (7 ce), translated from Latin by Rolfe Humphries 1961
- Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love) by Ovid (3 bce), translated by Rolfe Humphries 1957
- The Consolation of Philosophy by Ancius Boethius (524), translated from Latin by Victor Watts (1969, 1999)
- On Love by Andreas Capellanus (c1190), translated from French by P.G. Walsh (1993)
- Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meun (c1230/c1275), translated from French by Charles Dahlberg (1971)
- Canzoniere Sonnet 132 by Francesco Petrarch (c1370), translated from Italian by A.S. Kline (2002)
- Commentary on Cicero's Dream of Scipio by Macrobius (c400), translated from Latin by William Harris Stahl (1952,1990,2009)
- excerpts from Lovesick in the Middle Ages: The Viaticum and Its Commentaries by Mary Wack (1990)
--- Viaticum by Constantine the African (1000s) - a Latin translation from Arabic of Zad Al Mussafir by Ibn Al Jazzar (900's)
--- Glosses on the Viaticum by Gerald of Berry (c1236), translated from Latin
--- Treatise on the Viaticum by Bona Fortuna (c1320), translated from Latin

Well. I can't possibly review this. What I can say is that this Broadview Press edition is fantastic. It has the original language with some spelling clarifications, along with notes. And Chaucer is readable enough today that that is enough information and allows the reader to enjoy the poetry, especially play of sound. I don't think Chaucer is readable without help (or extensive knowledge of the London dialect of Middle English).

Also, I really enjoyed this. It's a highlight of my year. I read it in the morning for 20 to 40 minutes and relished it, reading only six or so pages at a sitting. The plot is simple. The text is largely dialogue, one character speaking for pages at a time. I never felt in danger of getting lost and I never worried about breaking off at any point, or about pressing on until some conclusion.

Also, it's humor. I never felt the need to take anything seriously, even Chaucer's philosophical side points. This surprised me a little because everything I read about this led to me expect some deep Christian-era-friendly thoughts. This is supposed to be Chaucer's big serious effort at artistry and reputation. But this is funny, elegant and funny. And, also, it is not clean. The tone is always playful, as playful as the language.

I think the language and linguistic play is the main point here. I enjoyed this aspect so much.

The best character is Pandarus, the uncle of Criseyde and friend of Trojan prince, Troilus. He is a gamer through and through. The game is how to get his niece linked to the number one bachelor in Troy. I couldn't help imagining that Chaucer saw himself in Pandarus, but that's my impression. The character Troilus, meanwhile, is comically ridiculous. He's spineless and roiling in bed suffering from lovesickness. When Pandarus sets the world up for him, and the world is his in Book 3, he comes alive a little. He is thoroughly tragic in Book 4, and it's almost moving until we remember him in bed in back in the early books. Criseyde (maybe pronounced "Christ-eyed", but the pronunciation, based on the rhymes, seems ambiguous) is ultimately practical. She's a convincing lover, and I was left thinking I never got her right, that it was never clear where her true feelings lay. Somehow Pandarus makes the match, but he gets no benefit from it or its tragic end. The more Pandarus was present, the better Chaucer's writing was, in my opinion.

I wish I could conclude. One for the brave, thoroughly rewarding.

2023
https://www.librarything.com/topic/354226#8291135
… (more)
 
Flagged
dchaikin | 5 other reviews | Nov 23, 2023 |

Lists

AP Lit (1)

Awards

You May Also Like

Associated Authors

Nevill Coghill Translator, Editor
Vincent F. Hopper Editor and translator, Translator
Barbara Cohen Translator
Malcolm Andrew Critical Commentary, Editor
Daniel Ransom Textual Commentary
Charles Moorman Text and Collations
William Caxton Preface, Illustrator, Contributor
Barbara Cooney Illustrator
Edward Burne-Jones Illustrator
William Langland Contributor
F. R. H. Du Boulay Contributor
Pope Gregory X Contributor
Ovid Contributor
Giovanni Boccaccio Contributor
Robert Rypon Contributor
St. Augustine Contributor
Macrobius Contributor
Francis Petrarch Contributor
Walter Map Contributor
Theophrastus Contributor
John Gower Contributor
Paul Strohm Contributor
Barbara Nolan Contributor
Thomas. Wimbledon Contributor
St. Jerome Contributor
Arthur W. Hoffman Contributor
Carolyn Dinshaw Contributor
Marie de France Contributor
Jean de Meun Contributor
Lee Patterson Contributor
Trina Sebart Hyman Illustrator
Trina Schart Hyman Illustrator
Hermann Rosse Illustrator
Arthur Szyk Illustrator
Donald C. Baker Editor, Introduction
M. B. Parkes Introduction
A.I. Doyle Introduction
Robert Hill Adapted by
T. E. Lawrence Contributor
Peter Tuttle Translator
Louis Untermeyer Introduction
Robert W. Hanning Introduction, Editor
Ted Stearn Cover designer, Cover artist
Nick Bantock Illustrator
J.U. Nicolson Translator
Melvyn Bragg Foreword
Robert Latham General editor
Ernst van Altena Translator
Victor G. Ambrus Illustrator
R. M. Lumiansky Translator
Derek Pearsall Introduction
Gerard NeCastro Translator
Raffel Burton Translator
Victòria Gual Translator
Peter Forster Illustrator
Mark Allen Editor
David Wright Translator
Rockwell Kent Illustrator
Peter Levi Blurber
John Wain Introduction
A. J. Barnouw Translator
William Morris Designer, Illustrator
Peter Brookes Illustrator
Edward Gorey Cover designer
Eric Gill Illustrator
Roy Morgan Cover artist
Greg Irons Illustrator
Ann McMillan Translator
W. Russell Flint Illustrator
J.J. Mak Editor
Warwick Goble Illustrator
Burton Raffel Translator

Statistics

Works
392
Also by
45
Members
40,869
Popularity
#430
Rating
3.8
Reviews
364
ISBNs
1,013
Languages
24
Favorited
105

Charts & Graphs