why is Chaucer called the father of English poetry?

Answer

Comment on Chaucer’s contribution to English literature. 

Or, why is Chaucer called the father of English poetry? 

Or, discuss Chaucer as a representative poet of his age. 

Or, how did Chaucer represent his age?

Or, discuss “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales” as a picture gallery of the 14th century English Society.

Or, how does Chaucer portray contemporary society in the General Prologue?

Or, Chaucer represents his age not in fragments but almost completely. Discuss.

Literature reflects the manners and lifestyle of an age. A literary artist, through his literary work, becomes the representative of his age: Pope represents the Neoclassical Age and Tennyson represents the Victorian Age. Like Pope or Tennyson, Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400) represents the 14th century through his masterpiece “The General Prologue to The Canterbury Tales.” Other poets of the 14th century had limited knowledge and attention about their time. But Chaucer was different. He represents the religious corruption, political condition, trade, manners, condition of women, lifestyle, and so on of his age. 

Religious Condition: In The General Prologue, Chaucer shows the bad condition of the Church. Religious leaders were not truly holy. They did not spend time in prayer. Instead, they loved money and luxury. Chaucer writes about seven religious persons in The General Prologue. He did not like their corruption. So, he satirizes them. For example, The Monk leads a rich and easy life. He loves hunting. He has many horses. Chaucer says about the Monk that,

“An outridere, that lovede venerie”.

(A monk loved hunting.)

Political Condition: Chaucer shows the political troubles of his time. 14th-century England had many problems, like the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381. This revolt was against the feudal system (social/economic class system). In “The Clerk’s Tale” and “The Nun’s Priest’s Tale”, Chaucer talks about the “stormy people.” He shows how common people were changing their minds quickly. In his time, Many people were unhappy. Chaucer shows how peasants wanted better lives. This was the