Geoffrey Chaucer

Description

Covering Geoffrey Chaucer's life and work, David Wallace considers the influence and enduring appeal of his body of writing, exploring the wide ranging geography and iconic characters in his stories, and discusses how Chaucer's own experiences contributed to his literature.

• Offers an engaging introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer's works, informed by his own life and the times he was writing in
• Analyses the lasting appeal of Chaucer's works, and considers their adaptations and performances through the centuries since they were written
• Draws out some of the most innovative features of Chaucer's work, such as his blend of genres and strong female voices, and discusses why these made his writing so unique
• Considers Chaucer as a playwright, writer, and poet, and discusses these seperate features of his work

About the Author(s)

David Wallace, Judith Rodin Professor of English & Comparative Literature, University of Pennsylvania

David Wallace studied at York and Cambridge. Currently Judith Rodin Professor of English at the University of Pennsylvania, he has held visiting positions at Jerusalem, Melbourne, London, and Princeton. He has served as President of the New Chaucer Society, is currently Second Vice President of the Medieval Academy of America, and has made a series of documentaries for BBC Radio 3. He most recently published Europe: A Literary History, 1348-1418 (2016) and Strong Women (2012), both with OUP.

Table of Contents

1:Beginnings
2:Schoolrooms, science, female intuition
3:A life in poetry
4:Poetry at last: Troilus and Criseyde
5:Organizing, disorganizing: The Canterbury Tales
6:Something to believe in
7:Afterlife, drama, futures
References
Further Reading
Index

Reviews

"The New Introduction covers a great deal of territory in a lucid, witty presentation of Chaucer's life, works, and influence. Its major work, however, has been to normalize Chaucer's status as a global poet." - Speculum

"Prof. Wallace has produced a superb introduction: an adroit, authoritative, fresh, energetic delight." - The New English Review

"This is a book which shows up everything you thought you knew about Chaucer, but didn't, and has a knack of making you want to find out even more." - Sandra Callard, On: Magazine

"This smart and attractive little book is a very quick read, and Wallace's conversational style has warm appeal." - Laura Ashe, Times Literary Supplement

"Showing a solid command of history, Wallace provides fascinating analyses of Chaucer's personal and literary evolution. He is a master of his subject, insightful and provocative throughout." - Kirkus Review

"a thoroughly fresh engagement...which gives us Chaucer as a writer of his moment wide open to the future and the world." - Paul Strohm, author of The Poet's Tale

"Along with its other mind-broadening features, this introduction offers a timely reminder that Chaucer benefited from a Europe-wide perspective and continues to evoke creative responses across cultures and borders." - Nicholas Havely, University of York