Chaucer is considered one of literature's most influential and oustanding figures. In a time way before Shakeaspeare, Chaucer was "the first finder of our language" (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, "Geoffrey Chaucer). Born somewhere between 1342 and 1343, Chaucer first appears in the records around 1357. Working in the household of Elizabeth, the countess of Ulster, he was able to work in a royal household and gain experience in royal and court like settings.
From there Chaucer dabbled in war and various civil duties. He was a diplomat, a justice of the peace, a customs officer, and a forester. Over the course of his life, Chaucer was noted for going through three stages in his writing career. The first stage, which is simply called the early stage, was defined by his work based on French models. One of his finest examples was The Book of the Duchess and Roman de la Rose. All of the work were written prior to 1370.
Chaucer progressed in to his Italian phase where his work was modelled after Dante and Boccaccio. Some of his work during this period include the unfinished Legend of Good Women. This particular poem tells of nine heroines, which introduced the heroic couplet. Other works, such as The Treatise on the Astrolabe and Toilus and Criseyde are also written during this time. In Troilus and Criseyde, Chaucer perfects the use of seven-line stanza later named rhyme royal.
In his final and most famous stage, Chaucer creates the timeless Canterbury Tales. It is said that, Chaucer "achieved his fullest artistic power" (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Geoffrey Chaucer). Although unfinished, the Canterbury Tales "include a variety of medieval genres from the humorous fabliau to the serious homily, and they vividly indicate medieval attitudes and customs in such areas as love, marriage, and religion," (The Columbia Encyclopedia, Geoffrey Chaucer). With the use of his humor and enchanting language, each seperate tale combines to create an image of what life might have been.
Although The Canterbury Tales are not accurate for historical purposes, they do give insight to the trends of the medieval period. "In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer portrays women in a much more positive way, characterizing them as somewhat empowered. Actual historical events, such as the scandal and subsequent litigation revolving around Anna Buschler which Steven Ozment details in The Burgermeister's Daughter, suggest something of a compromise between these two literary extremes. While it is true that life was no utopia for medieval women, neither was life universally horrible or society thoroughly misogynistic," (Garrett Moritz, "Notions of Gender in the Middle Ages: Myth vs. Reality")
While the treatment of women depended on their socio-economic status, equality rarely existed and could never be bought. The women during the medieval period were the property of their men. At the age of 12 girls could be married off, much like the Wife of Bath. Women were under the control of their father until married where she became completely obedient to her husband. Upper class women were not only property but also items of sale. While the lower classes had more freedom in marriage, the women of the higher classes were used to unite families or somehow enrich a country or bank account.
Women were expected to bear children and run the household. It was their duty until the day they died, which on average, was about forty years. Many women took on working roles that depended on their education and class. There were women who wrote, drew or painted and created lasting art. There were even women such as Joan of Arc who became a heroic mascot for women and universities alike.
Through each struggle and success, the women of the Middle Ages are usually thought of from a romantic mindset. Not every girl was a princess, a queen or lady in waiting. From the feilds to the thrones, the women lived lifestyles that are inconvievable now. Fortunately, they left legacies that will continue to inspire and educate the generation of today.
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websites:
1. http://www.britannica.com/
Britannica Encyclopedia Online: This website was very helpful as it gave several topics in which to research. I was able to learn about the Canterbury area, Geoffrey Chaucer's later years and the different tales. I really enjoyed picking through this website the most and will definitely use it more often.
2. http://www.bartleby.com/65/ch/Chaucer.html
Again, another encyclopedia -- the Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-07. Much like the Britannica, it offered a lot of easy to understand information. It also covered several important aspects of the Cantebury tales including history on Chaucer and his different works. This is the first time I had heard of his three writing stages which I decided to use in my blog. It was very interesting and I thought the information was very useable.
3. Garrett Moritz, "Notions of Gender in the Middle Ages: Myth vs. Reality"
http://www.gtexts.com/college/papers/s3.html
This was one of my favorites! It was a college paper and when I went and researched the writer, I found Garret Moritz to be a Harvard student (pretty impressive...) . This website also had a lot of information but offered a different perspective. He also incorporated Chaucer in to his discussion and that pretty much convinced me to use this as a source.
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As a side note:
I had originally posted this back in Jan. but I decided to re do it. I did not change the text, I simply added websites and tried to get the format to work.
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