《英国文学》10月8日课件.pptVIP

Chapter 4 Geoffrey Chaucer(ca.1340-1400) Ⅰ.Life The founder of English poetry ( no man of his day could have been better equipped socially and intellectually to be the founder of English poetry): ①socially: a man of affairs / acquired an abundant knowledge of the world: went to France at 19 /on diplomatic missions to Italy / controller of customs at London /kept a close connection with people at the court politically adopted an attitude of opposition against Catholicism and attacked the corruption of the contemporary church government in his poems(influenced by John of Gaunt,the patron of Chaucer and John Wycliffe,a radical reformer in religion) ②intellectually(culturally,literarily): obtained a good knowledge of French, Italian and Latin →had a close connection with people at the court→for them French was more familiar than English ,their tastes were all formed on things French →his deep love for French poets; diplomatic missions to Italy → study the poems of Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio →influence his writing greatly;an ardent admirer of Latin authors →studied many of the philosophical works in the Middle Ages Ⅱ.Chaucer’s Literary Career 3 stages of his life →first in France, then in Italy, finally in England →3 periods of his literary career:the first/French period→works translated from French,as The Romaunt of the Rose, the poet’s trying his hand on meter,on language,on subject ; the second/Italian period → works adapted from the Italian,as Troilus and Criseyde,the poet’s own creativeness shows itself through borrowed themes ;the third/English period → works composed in pure English,as The Canterbury Tales ,the poet’s own choice of subject,his own grasp of character and his own diction and plot Ⅲ.The Canterbury Tales(1387-1400) Chaucer’s masterpiece and one of the monumental works in English literature 1、Outline of the Story On a spring evening/at the Tabard Inn in Southwark at the south end of London Bridge/29 pilgrims on a journey to Canterbury/begui