Chaucer was an English poet born in London in 1343. He worked as a diplomat for the English court, traveling frequently to France and Italy. His most famous work is The Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral. The pilgrims represent different social classes of late medieval English society. One of the most vivid characters is the Wife of Bath, described as a middle-aged woman who has been married five times and enjoys discussing relationships and romance. The Canterbury Tales is considered Chaucer's masterpiece and one of the most important works of English literature.

1. CHAUCER
“THE FATHER OF
ENGLISH POETRY”

2. LIFE
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HE WAS BORN IN LONDON IN
1343 ;
HE WORKED FOR THE
ENGLISH COURT ;
HE TRAVELLED A LOT
BECAUSE HE SPOKE
DIFFERENT LANGUAGES ;
HE WENT TO FRANCE AND
ITALY ;
AT THE END OF HIS LIFE HE
RENTED A HOUSE IN THE
GARDEN OF WESTMINSTER
ABBEY ;
HE DIED IN 1400 AND WAS
BURIED IN THE ABBEY.

3. INFLUENCES
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WHEN HE WENT TO ITALY IN
DIPLOMATIC MISSION HE
BECAME FAMILIAR WITH
ITALIAN LITERATURE ;
HE MENTIONED ITALIAN
WRITERS DANTE AND
PETRARCH BUT NEVER
BOCCACCIO ;
PROBABLY HE IMITATED THE
FRAME OF BOCCACCIO’S
DECAMERON AND A TALE “THE
STORY OF GRISELDA”.

4. PRODUCTIONS
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HIS PRODUCTION IS DIVIDED
IN THREE PERIODS :
FRENCH PERIOD , DURING
WHICH HE TRANSLATED “LE
ROMAN DE LA ROSE”;
ITALIAN PERIOD , DURING
WHICH HE WROTE “TROYLUS
AND CRISEYDE”;
ENGLISH PERIOD , WHICH IS
CONSIDERED THE MOST
IMPORTANT BECAUSE HE
COMPOSED HIS MASTERPIECE
“ THE CANTERBURY TALES”.

5. THE CANTERBURY TALES
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IT IS CONSIDERED THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF CHAUCER;
IT IS A COLLECTION OF VERSE TALES WRITTEN IN MIDDLE ENGLISH;
THE FRAME IS A PILGRIMAGE TO THE SHRINE OF St THOMAS
BECKET IN CANTERBURY;
• THERE ARE 30 PILIGRIMS, INCLUDING CHAUCER, AND THEY GATHER
IN “THE TABARD INN”, EACH OF THEM HAD TO TELL TWO TALES ON
THE ROAD FROM LONDON TO CANTERBURY, AND TWO ON THE WAY
BACK;
• HIS INITIAL IDEA WAS TO HAVE 120 TALES, BUT WE HAVE ONLY 23
TALES;

6. THE PILGRIMS
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THE PILGRIMS CAME FROM
DIFFERENT SOCIAL CLASSES ;
NOBLES AND POOR PEOPLE
WERE EXCLUDED, NOBLES
BECAUSE THEY HAD MONEY AND
MEANS OF TRANSPORTS, POOR
PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY HAD NOT
MONEY TO PAY THE JOURNEY.
CHAUCER’S PILGRIMS STRIKE US
FOR THEIR VARIETY : SOME OF
THEM ARE CONNECTED WITH THE
FEUDAL SYSTEM ( THE
KNIGHT,THE SQUIRE…) , OTHERS
RELATE TO THE WORLD OF THE
CHURCH (THE NUN,THE MONK,
THE PARSON…) , YET OTHERS
ARE REPRESENTATIVES OF
PROFESSIONAL MIDDLE CLASS
( THE LAWYER, THE MERCHANT,
THE STUDENT, THE WIFE OF
BATH…).

7. THE WIFE OF BATH
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SHE IS ONE OF THE MOST VIVID CHARACTERS IN THE CANTERBURY TALES,
SHE CAME FROM BATH , AN ENGLISH TOWN ;
SHE WAS AN AGED MIDDLE CLASS WOMEN, SHE MADE CLOTHES;
ACCORDING TO CHAUCER’S DESCRIPTION SHE WAS VERY SENSUAL : IN
FACT SHE WORN RED CLOTHES, HER FACE WAS VERY BOLD, SHE HAD
GAP-TEETH ( WHICH WAS A SIGN OF BEING AN“EASY WOMAN”) SHE HAD
LARGE HIPS AND FINALLY SHE HAD MARRIED FIVE HUSBANDS ALL AT THE
DOOR OF THE CHURCH;
SHE ATTENDS THE CHURCH TO SHOW HER COSTLY DRESSES,
SHE WAS AS HONOURED THAT OTHER DAMES DARED TO STIR TOWARDS
THE ALTAR STEPS IN FRONT OF HER;
SHE TRAVELLED A LOT, SHE HAD BEEN TO JERUSALEM, BOLOUGNE, ST.
JAMES OF COMPOSTELLA AND ROME;
IN COMPANY SHE LOVED TO LAUGH AND CHAT AND KNEW THE REMEDY OF
LOVE.