Contribution of Chaucer to the English literature
That Chaucer was a pioneer in many respects should be readily granted. "With him is born our real poetry," says Matthew Arnold. Further, he has been credited not only with the "fatherhood" of English poetry. He is not only the first English poet, but a great poet in his own right. Justly has he been called "the fountain-source of the vast stream of English literature."
Chaucer was a courtier during the reign of Edward'III, Richard II, Henry IV. on Diplomatic missions he had to visit France and Italy. He came in contact with the literary traditions of these two rich countries. His poetic career is dived into three parts - The French Period, Italian Period and English period.
(1) French Period :- Chaucer has written major poems -The Romaunt of the Rose and The Book of Duchess.
The former is an incomplete translation in octosyllabic couplet of a French allegory La Romaunt de la Rose by Guillaume de Lorris and Jean de Meung. This poem describes the pleasure of love, symbolized by a rose. This French poem taught Chaucer the feature of the French dream poetry - its love of nature, its romantic allegory and its visionary gleams.
The Book Of Duchess is an elegy in octo syllabi couplets based on the tradition of the French dream poetry. It is probably his earliest and written in 1369, the year when John of Gaunt"s wife died. Others are The compleyent unto Pite, The Compleyent of Mars.
(2) Italian Period :- His Italian masterpiece includes - Troilus and Crisede, The parliament of foules, The House of Fame, The legend of Good women.
The Parliament of Foules has a fine opening and in the characterization of the birds, show Chaucer's true comic spirit. It celebrates the marriage of Richard II to Anne of Bohemia.
The House of Fame - is a Dream poem written in octosyllabic couplet. It is in the three books. It strikes a note of promise in its descriptive power as shown in the temple of Venus and House of Fame.
The Legend of a good Women:- is another dream poem, tells the story of nine legendary heroines who sacrificed their lives to the cause of faith in love.
Troilus and Crisyde:- is by far the best poem of this period. It is long poem adapted from Boccaccio but in its emphasis on character it is original. Reality and a passionate intensity underlie its conventions of courtly love. The complex character of Criseyde and Pandarus reveal a new subtlety of psychological development and indicates Chaucer's growing insight into human motives.
(3) English period :- It was in English period, that Chaucer could discover the nature of his poetic genius. He diverts his mind from the foreign treasure and dedicated himself to the service of his own nation. It was in this period that Chaucer created his masterpiece - The Canterbury Tales. For the general idea of the tales Chaucer may be indebted to Boccaccio, but in nearly every important feature the work is essentially English For the propose of his poem Chaucer draws together twenty nine pilgrims including himself. There are two prose tales Chaucer's Own Tale of Melibeus and The Parson's Tale and nearly all others are composed in heroic couplet. His Nun priest's tale may be regarded as a first sample of the mock heroic poem. The Canterbury Tales is a great social document.
We may summarize Chaucer’s achievement in poetry by saying that he is the earliest of the great moderns. The advancement which he makes is almost startling. He was the first to introduce octo syllabic heroic couplet. He was the first to enrich The English language with French Italian flavor. He was the first to introduce good humor and social criticism into the field of literary garden. Chaucer is indeed a genius, he stands alone and for nearly two hundred years none dare claim equality with him.
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