Geoffrey Chaucer
...I think some of Chaucer belongs to his time and that much of that
time is dead, extinct, and never to be made alive again. What was alive
in it, lives through him..._
--John Masefield
Geoffrey Chaucer¦s world was the Europe of the fourteenth century. It was
neither rich or poor, happy nor sad. Rather, it was the intermingling of
these, a mixture of splendor and poverty, displaying both worldly desire
and spiritual purity. Chaucer¦s travels through it, mostly on ¦the King¦s
business,_ or civil service, shaped his writing, offering the readers of
today a brief glimpse into the world in which he lived.
Chaucer lived from approximately AD 1340 to 1400. The world in which he
lived was ...
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passed since such a
threat had approached that the defenses had loosened. Houses perched upon
the walls, and Chaucer in fact, lived for a time in a house built over
Aldgate, (one of the gates of the city).
London was a city less than three-quarters of a square mile in size: It
ran east and west along the Thames less than one and a half miles, and
extended northwards less than half a mile. Over 20,000 people were packed
into this small area; the diversity of the inhabitants was overwhelming.
Londoners ranged from wealthy to impoverished, from small to large, from
shoemaker to blacksmith to minstrel to priest. The city was thus fairly
close. Stone building mingled with tile, wood, and thatch. While the
major streets were fairly wide, small shops and stands often spread out
into the road, effectively narrowing it by up to half it¦s width. London
Bridge (the only bridge in the city) was home to a multitude of homes and
shops, perched on top of the span to conserve space.
Waste ...
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political battle between the nobles of Gloucester and Lancaster. The
actions of these two nobles sent Chaucer reeling , his world constantly
changing about him.
The only stable item in Chaucer¦s world was religion. The institution of
religion, the church, was quite prominent and visible. Cathedrals dotted
the cities of the world, and even the smallest town had a church.
The glory of the Church may even have outshone that of the royal court.
Cathedrals were brilliant with magnificent carvings, statues of precious
metals murals, holy artifacts, and many other gleaming treasures. Even
the smallest church was home to some splendor. The glory of the church,
and the power it put forth ...
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Geoffrey Chaucer. (2004, September 15). Retrieved November 4, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Geoffrey-Chaucer/14370
"Geoffrey Chaucer." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 15 Sep. 2004. Web. 4 Nov. 2025. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Geoffrey-Chaucer/14370>
"Geoffrey Chaucer." Essayworld.com. September 15, 2004. Accessed November 4, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Geoffrey-Chaucer/14370.
"Geoffrey Chaucer." Essayworld.com. September 15, 2004. Accessed November 4, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Geoffrey-Chaucer/14370.
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