Chaucer is one of the forerunners of the English novel

Answer

Question: Chaucer is one of the forerunners of the English novel. Do you agree?

Or, The best exposition of the novel’s spirit is found in The Canterbury Tales- discuss.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) is the father of English poetry and grandfather of English novels. He is the first representative poet in the history of English literature. A writer becomes a father when his contribution crosses his temporary and previous writings in a particular branch of literature. Chaucer was far ahead of his contemporaries, and his poems are characteristically related to all literary branches. The elements of English novels are the most abundant. Let us examine what the characteristics of English novels are found in Chaucer’s poems, for which he is called the forerunner of the English novel.

Large and Realistic Representation of Human Life: Chaucer, in his The Canterbury Tales, presents the detailed facts of human life. The lifestyle of people, their culture, morality, success and failure of their life are all seen in Chaucer’s poem. Again, Chaucer presents the bond of love in a very beautiful way. These are important features of the English novel which Chaucer wrote before 1400. How subtly Chaucer represents human life is found here,

“She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,

Ne wette hir fyngres in hir sauce depe.

Wel koude she carie a morsel and wel kepe

Thát no drope ne fille upon hire brist;”

First Narrative Artist: Chaucer is the first narrative artist in English literature. No writer had written a poem with a full description before him. Chaucer’s poem gives a complete picture of a person or someone’s life. In “The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue,” Chaucer describes 30 pilgrims very delicately. That is why Gearson and Smith say about Chaucer’s pilgrims, 

“They are all with us, today, though some of them have changed their names.”

These characteristics were absent in Chaucer’s contemporary writers. Chaucer describes an event so perfectly that no modern novel can surpass it. Chaucer has described his themes in his poems in simple language. The plot of the poem, its characters, dilemmas, humor, and irony, which are only available in novels, are beautifully depicted by Chaucer. So, Chaucer has been rightly declared the first pioneer of the English novel.

A Writer of Modern Fiction: Chaucer’s “Troilus and Criseyde” is a remarkable example of modern fiction. Although the novel depicts real life, many fictional elements complete the novel. “The General Prologue” is also called a modern fiction. There are many characters, each with a clear description. They include The Knight, the Square, the Monk, the Wife of Bath, the Prioress, the Miller, and so on. Again, his art of characterization and the poem’s actions hold the reader’s attention from beginning to end.

“The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales” holds the reader’s attention from start to end. Here, the Squire’s fairy tale complements the modern novel among the pilgrims’ tales. Although it is known as fiction, in the end, it feels like Jane Austen and Robert Frost’s reality was in his story. And for such an appeal, Chaucer’s “Troilus and Criseyde” is called a novel in verse.

First Great Character Painter: Chaucer is the first great character painter. He introduces about 30 characters in his “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.” He described each of the 30 characters very skillfully. Reading “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales” feels like its characters are still alive. Again, in “Troilus and Criseyde,” he delicately presents their pathos, humor, and psychological insight. It has all the characteristics of a modern novel. The way of life of the medieval people and their mentality is well revealed here. Chaucer is often called the painter of the Middle Ages as he painted a society through his characters. His way of portraying things is very unique. He says about the Knight,

“A Knyght ther was, and that a worthy man,

That fro the tyme that he first bigan.”

When we study a character, a proper sketch of that character appears in our minds and stands in front of us in the form of a painting; that’s why “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales” is also called the art gallery of the Middle Ages.

Plot construction:  Most of his poems have a plot development. They are designed with a proper beginning, middle, and end. They have action, organization of events, conflict, proper setting, and character analysis, which are normally seen in drama and novels but not in poetry.

In summary, it is clear that Chaucer has sown the seeds of the modern novel. Gradually, these elements developed more and more, and using these elements of Chaucer, Henry Fielding became the father of the English novel. Chaucer has the sweetness of Goldsmith, the realistic approach of Henry Fielding, and the highly chivalrous tone of Sir Walter Scott. That is why famous literary critic S. W. Pollard, analyzing Chaucer’s poem, says,

“Chaucer was a compound of 30% of Goldsmith, 50% of Henry Fielding and 20% of Sir Walter Scott”.