Literature 5: Geoffrey Chaucer

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Literature 5:
Geoffrey Chaucer

1. Take a guess: When did Geoffrey Chaucer live?

1. 12th century
2. 14th century
3. 16th century
4. 18th century

2. Take a guess: Which of the following is not true about Geoffrey Chaucer?

1. He died fighting for the King of England
2. He served as a page & a squire under a knight
3. He became a forester (boswachter) late in life
4. He went on diplomatic missions to France

3. Take a guess: True or False "Geoffrey Chaucer wrote most of his works in Old English

1. True
2. False

4. Take a guess: Chaucer lived during the Hundred Years' War, which was fought between which countries?

1. Britain & Denmark
2. Britain & Norway
3. Britain & Spain
4. Britain & France

5. Take a guess: Chaucer's most famous work, The Canterbury Tales, was written for?

1. The nobility
2. The illiterate peasants
3. Merchants
4. All of the above

Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400)

- first poet writing in English
- The Canterbury Tales

- first record: 1357 as a page (serves a knight)
- 1359-1360 in France (Hundred Years' War)
- 1366 diplomatic mission to Spain
- marries wife Philippa
- 1368 from page to squire

Writing Career

- 1369 John of Gaunt "compose a poem for funeral of my wife"
- Chaucer wrote it in English 
- All poetry at the time was in French
- 1372-1373 diplomatic missions to Florence & Genoa
- Works of Dante & Petrarch (Italian poets)
- Writes several short poems  

- Troilus and Criseyde: tragedy based on Trojan War

The Canterbury Tales

- Most important work 
- Written between 1387-1400
- Group of pilgrims traveling together
- Each of them tells a story 
- Wanted to write about two groups, 
   but only finished the stories of one

Last part of his life

- 1386 Chaucer moves to Kent
- Member of the Parliament
- 1389 Clerkship of the Royal Works
- 1391 Resigns
- Becomes a forester (boswachter)
- Dies around 1400

6. True or False: "Geoffrey Chaucer was the first poet writing in English."

1. True
2. False

7. To which of the following countries has Chaucer not travelled on a diplomatic mission or as page/squire?

1. Spain
2. France
3. Italy
4. Germany

8. Geoffrey Chaucer started his writing career with what?

1. The Canterbury Tales
2. Troilus and Criseyde
3. A memorial poem for a funeral
4. A series of short poems

9. The finished version of The Canterbury Tales has stories from how many groups of pilgrims?

1. 1
2. 2
3. 3
4. 4

10. True or False: "Geoffrey Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales very early on in his life."

1. True
2. False

Check the reader:

Literature 5: Geoffrey Chaucer
- Read the background information
- Answer the questions (using the internet)
- Check your answers (see Its Learning)