Considered the
preeminent English poet of the Middle Ages,was well versed in other languages; in fact, he
translated two tremendously influential works from Latin and Old French into Middle English.
And, while he was not veritably the only one who wrote poetry in English, he was extremely
influential in promoting English from something other than the "vulgar" language that
it was considered to be. His poetry that reflects Latin, Italian, and French sources--he wrote
much French poetry--evolved into the verses that he wrote for . Clearly,
his remaking of French, Latin, and Italian sources and treatment of secular and religiousinto
his delightful tales brings the vernacular of English in The Canterbury
Tales to a new respectability. Perhaps, then, for this reason, that he brought
legitimacy to the vernacular English when the dominant literary languages were Latin and French,
Chaucer is somewhat mistakenly credited with being "The Father of English
Poetry."
With the publication of The Canterbury
Tales in English, then, Chaucer made a strong contribution to shaping English
literature. With English, Chaucer realistically shaped the speech of the pilgrims while
also realistically satirizing their manners, thus creating what was to become a popular
literature among people of the same social types. In short, Chaucer brought literature to all
levels of society, not just the nobilty and elite.
In addition, Chaucer
experimented with different forms of verse,
...establishing a decasyllabic line that, to become the iambic pentameter of the
sonnet, , and heroic , is English poetrys most enduring line.
This experimentation which left a lasting mark upon English poetry is a contribution of
Chaucer's that is also cause for considering him the father of English
poetry.
No comments:
Post a Comment