Geoffrey Chaucer is the writer of Canterbury Tales. Though his name is French and means "shoemaker," he was born in London, England. In fact, he wrote Canterbury Tales in English, which was rare for literature at the time.

Geoffrey was also a soldier for England. He was captured in France during the hundred years war, but was given back to England at a high price, paid for by his friends and the king himself. (1)

(2)

Other Works by G.C.

Books:
Troilus and Criseyede
Book of the Duchess

Chaucer also wrote a number of poems and prose treastises. (Don't ask me what they are.)


Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales, a poetic collection of stories that are regarded as the beginning of English literature. The stories are told by a group of travellers entertaining themselves while making a pilgrimage to Canterbury, England. Chaucer spent many years as an esquire to King Edward III. He visited Italy on diplomatic missions and was influenced by Italian writers, Dante and Boccaccio. He was among the first to use English to create poetry when at the time French and Latin were favored. He married the lady-in-waiting to the queen, Phillipa Roet and they had two sons, Thomas and Lewis. He was the first to be buried in what is now called the Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey. (3)

Chaucer grew inspiration from many different sources. Amoung these were Ovid's poems, Italian authors as Dante, Petrarch, and Boccaccio and Romance of the Rose by Guillaume de Loris. Dante's and Petrarch's works were most likely read by Chaucer during his travels to Italy. In doing this, he gradually learned how to create his own style of writing, and being able to put his own unique touches into his work. Since telling tales were the most common form of entertainment during this period, he must have heard a great deal of them. Because of this, he could be decisive with what he did and did not like. (4)


Chaucer uses the pilgrimage to bring together all classes of feudalism. "Portraits of religious figures (Prioress, Monk, Friar, Parson, Pardoner); to those representing the other two 'official' estates (the aristocrats: Knight and Squire; the peasantry: the Plowman); to the 'new' estate of Intellectuals (Clerk and possibly the Physician); and to the representatives of the 'middle class' Miller, Reeve, Cook, Wife of Bath, Franklin, Merchant, and Shipman." The middle class was only for those a skilled profession, such as Chaucer's father being a shoemaker. (5)

The fact that Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales during the time period during which feudalism was a common practice is important to why he chose the "pilgrims" that he did. Feudalism was the social hierarchy and system of government of the time period. It stated that different levels of nobility had different, but clearly defined responsibilities to the king in return for pieces of land called fiefs. The grants of land were worked by the semi-peasant class, the serfs. Chaucer uses the Canterbury Tales to get people from every class together and make them equals; making the story appear to be a social commentary. (6)


Portrait of Geoffry Chaucer from The Canterbury Tales (7)

Geoffrey Chaucer portrayed as himself in the Canterbury tales (8)
Sources
(1)http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/chaucer.htm
(2)http://www.richardsonandgray.com/Geoffr1.jpg
(3)http://www.answers.com/geoffrey+chaucer&r=67
(4) http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/chaucer.htm
(5) http://cla.calpoly.edu/~dschwart/engl430/estates.html
(6)http://www.veling.nl/anne/templars/Medieval_Terms.html
(7)http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/press/dpp/1998082601
(8)http://www.answers.com/topic/the-canterbury-tales