Table of ContentsIntroductionDiscussionThe Contribution of Chaucer's Contemporary Writers to English LiteratureConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionThe name 'Chaucer' is closely linked to English literature. If we consider English literature as the body, then Chaucer is the soul without whom English literature would be nothing but a corpse. Chaucer's literary career spanned only fifty years, but those fifty years gave English literature the gift of a lifetime. Being a man of the 14th century, he single-handedly developed English literature for all the following centuries. Chaucer is considered one of the most musical poets of all time. There is melody in almost every one of his writings. He is a man who also masters French, Italian and English. He wrote in all three languages ​​and incorporated people from all three speaking languages. His language is easily understood if we appreciate his poetry, his humor, his good stories, his good heart. He is believed to be cosmopolitan because in his writings he included people from many social classes. He is also famous for his presentation style and excellent characterization which is a unique quality and found only in famous authors like Tagore, Shakespeare, Dante, Kafka, Amitabh Ghosh and a few others. But no one could match the quality like Chaucer. Although Chaucer is the man who formed English literature and known as the father of English literature, the question still arises whether Chaucer was actually capable of depicting the lives of the 14th century contemporaries. This article aims to investigate this topic and find out whether Chaucer was really capable of giving the real picture of the people of his time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayDiscussionTo achieve the objective, the article is sub-categorized into five different parts to logically analyze the question raised. The first part deals with the political life of Geoffrey Chaucer so that his works can be linked to it. The second part briefly discusses Chaucer's major works from the three periods of his literary career. The next part describes the socio-political events of the 14th century and how people lived at that time. The next part shows the contribution of some other contemporary writers of Chaucer to create a logical comparison. The last and most significant part of this article describes how Chaucer failed to depict the lives of the contemporaries of his time in his writings. Chaucer was not just a poet during his 60 years of life (roughly from 1340 to 1400). He was also a bureaucrat, philosopher, courtier, astronomer and diplomat. His political career began in 1357 when, through his father's connections, he became the account of the household of Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster. The Countess was married to the son of Edward III under whom Chaucer worked as a diplomat, civil servant and clerk to the king's works from 1389 to 1391. Chaucer and Edward III enjoyed a good relationship which was demonstrated more than once in the latter years of Chaucer. When he participated in the "Hundred Years' War" in 1360, he was sent to prison for ransom. Edward III bailed him out by paying a huge sum of money to the authorities. Edward III did not hesitate to pay such a huge sum (16 pounds) for once. This shows how strong a bond they had with each other. In 1367 he became a member of the royal court of Edward III as a yeoman, or squire. When Chaucer officially began writing, he was thought to be highly regarded by EdwardIII because he received “a gallon of wine a day for the rest of his life”. But no one yet knows for what position he received such an award. He received this liquid allowance until the arrival of Richard II. Richard II made it a monetary sanction in 1378. Once again, this unexpected and costly subsidy amplifies their bond. Further controversy over Chaucer's life after the ransom incident, it is discovered that he was involved in the seizure of Cecilia Chaumpaigne. But even if this turned out to be true, it did not leave a stain on Chaucer's career. Perhaps once again the royalist ensured that Chaucer had no difficulties in his way. Chaucer is believed to have begun writing for 'The Canterbury Tales' in 1380 before becoming MP for Kent. Previously he wrote in French and Italian, but suddenly he started writing in English. The hidden reason behind this may be that he was an MP at the time and needed the support of the people more than the royalists. Chaucer's literary life can be divided into three different parts because he wrote in three different languages. During all these periods, he produced marvelous works that still serve as examples for authors today and tomorrow. In the early period of Chaucer's life he wrote in French. This period lasted 30 years. The best-known poem from the early period of Chaucer's life is "Roman de la Rose", which is a translation of the French "Roman de la Rose". This allegorical poem deals with chivalry and courtly love. Here the “rose” is used as a symbol of love which the narrator cannot understand in the first part. In the second part, he can kiss the rose but then “jealousy” creates a fortress between them. The poem satirizes the morals of the time. Chaucer also wrote the “Boke of the Duchess” around this time. It is written for the late wife of his patron Jean de Goutte, who died of the plague of 1369. But he did not focus on the plague in the poem, even allegorically. Just like Chaucer's other poems, this one also shows his musical and melodic characteristics with refined humor and a good story, but he did not focus on the socio-political context or events of that time. In the second period of Chaucer's life he wrote all his literature. parts in Italian. This period lasted 15 years. The main work of this period is “Troilus and Cressida”, a poem of eighty thousand lines. This poem is about love and betrayal. This was inspired by Homer's "Iliad", as it deals with the love story of Troy and the Trojan prince. Another famous poem from this era is the “Legend of Goode Wimmen”. It's a dream vision. Chaucer describes ten stories of “good women” in nine sections. During the last fifteen years of Chaucer's literary life, Chaucer wrote in English. The famous “Canterbury Tales” were written during this time. Although the project remained unfinished when Chaucer died, his plan was to have 30 characters go on a pilgrimage, each telling two stories during their journey. With these stories, he wanted to show the reflection of the English to the rest of the world. Why Chaucer suddenly began writing in English remains an unsolved mystery. English was then just a dialect and was only spoken by middle and lower middle class people. As Chaucer used to be with monarchs and royalists, this incident may surprise anyone. Before writing “The Canterbury Tales” he became an MP, and as an MP he must have needed the support of the people. Perhaps this is why he began writing in a dialect and made it the basis of theEnglish language today. “The Hundred Years' War between France and England began in 1338. Whenever a war breaks out, the people of all countries involved suffer. The same thing happened in this war. Killing civilians, burning buildings and crops, and stealing any wealth found were common scenarios. Regions became depleted, populations fled or were massacred, the economy was damaged and disrupted, and ever greater expenses were absorbed by the military, increasing taxes. Royal income fell significantly due to the war, but some people made money by taking advantage of the current situation and became rich. In 1348, England experienced its first plague known as the “Black Death.” Originally from China, it arrived in England successfully and killed 20 percent of the total population. By the autumn the plague had reached London, and by the summer of 1349 it covered the whole country. The English government has managed the crisis well. It appears that there were very few victims of the Black Death in the upper levels of society. The plague and the "Hundred Years' War" led England to the Peasants' Revolt led by Wat Tyler in 1381. The revolt had several causes, one of them being the socio-economic and political tensions that accompanied the black death. Another reason may be the high taxes resulting from the conflict with France during the Hundred Years' War and the instability within London's local rulers. All these incidents that occurred in the 14th century were enough to keep the population of that time tense and anxious. People were killed randomly. When the killers were caught, nature became the killer. When the two murders were stopped, the accumulated repression and anger caused the people to rebel and put all of England under pressure again. There were four more prominent writers at that time. William Langland William Langland was a very visionary writer. He believed that farmers were the symbol of equality. His literature preaches the equality of men and the dignity of work.John WyclifJohn Wyclif is considered "the father of English prose". He was a reformer. He translated the Bible.John GowerJohn Gower was a romantic writer. He wrote in English, Italian and French. He criticized vigorous living and its consequences. Mandeville Mandeville loved traveling. This is why he wrote many travel stories. His literature shows a wonder towards other lands on the planet. Geoffrey Chaucer is best known for his portrait of society, of humanity, as no one has ever attempted before. His unfinished “Canterbury Tales” are still celebrated in the world of English literature. It is true that Chaucer's writing style is still considered incomparable by anyone rather than Shakespeare. He invented the “frame story” technique which consists of telling a story within another story to make the first more realistic. “The Canterbury Tales” is also written using this technique. But although he was successful in introducing new techniques into English literature, he failed to portray the true picture of the people of the 14th century through his writings. From a young age, Chaucer enjoyed good relations with monarchs. In fact, during his life he worked under three different monarchs. They frequented him and Chaucer worked for them. But perhaps Chaucer thought that working was not enough, which is why he dedicated his written poetry to his patrons. When someone writes for monarchs, it is obviously, in one way or another, praising their qualities, directly or indirectly. Chaucer had done 2019.