The Context of Chaucer’s Works

Abstract

We began our discussion of the literary context of Chaucer’s writing in the previous chapter, where we particularly noticed the influences of a host of continental authors, earlier Greek and Roman writers, such as Boethius, Ovid, Virgil and, more generally, Chaucers abiding interest in all forms of narrative. His choice of English as the language of his texts sees the start of a move away from traditional notions of Latin as learned or French as the official language, as opposed to the popular but somehow inferior writing of the vernacular, the language of the ordinary. Similarly, Chaucer elevated a different style of verse form, away from the alliterative tradition of Anglo-Saxon, parodied in the tale of Sir Thopas, to something more flexible and sophisticated, adapted from French and Italian cultures. Our discussion noted too how early influences of French writers like Machaut and Froissart led to Chaucer’s interest in love visions and love debates, later developed through the inspiration of the highly influential Le Roman de la Rose.