By examining texts from his short love lyrics to the copious profusion of character and incident in The Canterbury Tales, this course makes clear why Chaucer is the "father" of English poetry.
You plumb the richness and depth of Chaucer’s poetry and explore his life, the range of his work, and his impact on English language and literature.
You examine Chaucer in virtually all the forms of literature available to him:
- classical epic
- domestic farce
- ribald comedy
- saint’s life
- beast fable
- romance adventure
- personal lyric
- devotional prayer
- philosophical and religious prose.