GEOFFRY CHAUCER

Chaucer stands in much the same relation to the life of his time as Alexander Pope does to the early part of 18^th century, and Lord Alfred Tennyson to the Victorian era. But his place in English literature is even more important than theirs for he is the first great English writer to use “naked words” in English, the first to make composite English language a thing compact and vital. John Dryden venerates Chaucer as highly as the Greek venerated Homer and Romans venerated Virgil. He symbolizes Chaucer as a river that flows endlessly through the later English poets’ generation after generation. No other Middle English writer has his skills, his range, his complexity and his large humane out-look. The rare literary genius in him creates several lasting works of art and makes him the father of English poetry. English language and literature grew at a bound to full maturity with Chaucer.

Chaucer made several contributions to English poetry. He enlarged the range and scope of the poets, introduced minute observation of life around him, gave vivid and clear descriptions of the conditions of his times, excelled in characterization, made narration of art, and above all gave a new form and shape to English language and versification. With these contributions, he remains at the top of the history of English literature, with no competitors for hundreds of years to challenge his position.

Chaucer was the first national poet giving full expressions to the new hopes and aspirations of the people of his time. In the picture of “The Canterbury Tales” he makes it his business, like Shakespeare, to paint life as he sees it and leaves others to draw the moral. The foundation of Chaucer’s art lies in English life and English character.

Chaucer’s best descriptions of men, manners and places are of the first rank in their beauty, impressiveness and humour. His power of describing his fellowmen, the common people, with all their merits and demerits, their tastes and temperaments was unique. The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales is a picture gallery that brings in its scope all classes of people ranging from the Knight to Miller and the Cook.

Chaucer’s greatness as a poet is strongly appreciated for his narrative skill. His power as a narrator, the power to tell an interesting story is simply astounding. He is one of the world’s three or four story tellers and the first great English story-teller in verse. His employment of verse as the vehicle of story telling is certainly the most notable contribution and the modern English literature is greatly indebted to him in this respect. His “The Canterbury Tales” is a collection of excellently narrated stories that introduce humour in his narration and make his story life-like and living.

Chaucer’s art of characterization is another contribution to English poetry. He is the first great painter of character in English literature. In fact, next to Shakespeare he is the greatest master in this field. In the Prologue, Chaucer takes to the study of contemporary English society and employs poetry with tolerant curiosity to the study of men and manners. His characters are the eternal creation of individuals and types. Blake views that the characters of Chaucer’s pilgrims are the character which compose all ages and nations. The Knight, the Friar, the Wife of Bath, the Doctor of Physic, the Prioress, the Monk, the Merchant and many others are living and eternally fresh and their traits symbolizes the lineaments of universal human life. Such characterization paved the ways for the later English writers.

Realism is featured with modern poetry. The modern poet is a keen observer of his time and puts this realism in his poetry. But this modern note of realism had been sounded by Chaucer long back in the 14^th century. He was a great observer of men and had an extra-ordinary insight into human nature. The Prologue bears the testimony to it.

Poetry portrays not merely the art and artificiality of age. Rather it hints at humanistic outlook as well. This reflection of humanity in poetry starts with Chaucerian literature. His descriptions of his fellowmen reveal his wide humanity and prepare the way for Shakespeare. He has no disdain for the fools and no disgust for rascals. He is the poet of humanity.

Chaucer has been called the father of English poetry. But he is also the grand father of the English Novel. In his Troilus and Criseyde and The Canterbury Tales, we have the seeds of the novel which have been cultivated by others later.

It is not any exaggeration to say that English versification with Chaucer. The octa-syllabic lines, used by his predecessors, find a total renovation in Chaucer. His metrical innovations alone are enough to earn him the little of “the father of English poetry”. The use of the line of five stresses called the pentameter was first introduced by him. He produced a seven line stanza called “rhyme-royal” simplifying intricate French Ballad form. Finally, the rhyming pentameter or heroic verse, the metre of the greatest English poetry of all times- owes its origin in England to Chaucer’s use of decasyllables.

But what is more about Chaucer is his application of the common dialect of London and its neighbourhood as his poetic diction. This is known as King’s English which became the sole literary language through England.

To wind up the above discussion, it can be said that Chaucer, with his vast prolific, comprehensive and impressive literary production, has remained till now unsurpassable. All the Chaucerian features help create the modern atmosphere for the later poets. So, Chaucer is rightly called the father of English poetry.