Home >
A Very Short Introduction >
Geoffrey Chaucer (Literature)
A Very Short Introduction | Literature
Geoffrey Chaucer
ISBN: 9780198767718
Series: A Very Short Introduction
Geoffrey Chaucer (Literature)
A Very Short Introduction Geoffrey Chaucer (Literature) Media > Books > Non-Fiction > Education Books Expect Delays of Up to 4 Weeks
| Order Below |
ISBN
9780198767718 (10-digit ISBN: 0198767714)
- Description
- Key Features
- Series Description
- Table of Contents
- Offers an engaging introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer's works, informed by his own life and the times he was writing in
- Analyses the lasting appeal of Chaucer's works, and considers their adaptations and performances through the centuries since they were written
- Draws out some of the most innovative features of Chaucer's work, such as his blend of genres and strong female voices, and discusses why these made his writing so unique
- Considers Chaucer as a playwright, writer, and poet, and discusses these seperate features of his work
- Previously published in hardback as Geoffrey Chaucer: A New Introduction
Originally writing over 600 years ago, Geoffrey Chaucer is today enjoying a global renaissance. Why do poets, translators, and audiences from so many cultures, from the mountains of Iran to the islands of Japan, find Chaucer so inspiring? In part this is down to the character and sheer inventiveness of Chaucer's work.
At the time Chaucer's writings were not just literary adventures, but also a means of convincing the world that poetry and science, tragedy and astrology, could all be explored through the English language. French was still England's aristocratic language of choice when Chaucer was born; Latin was used for university education, theological discussion, and for burying the dead. Could a hybrid tongue such as English ever generate great writing to compare with French and Latin? Chaucer, miraculously, believed that it could, through gradual expansion of expressiveness and scientific precision. He was never paid to do this; he was valued, rather, as a capable civil servant, regulating the export of wool and the building of seating for royal tournaments. Such experiences, however, fed his writing, leading him to achieve a range of social registers, from noble tragedy to barnyard farce, unrivalled for centuries. His tale-telling geography is vast, his fascination with varieties of religious belief endless, and his desire to voice female experience especially remarkable. Many Chaucerian poets and performers, today, are women. In this Very Short Introduction David Wallace introduces the life, performance, and poetry of Chaucer, and analyses his astonishing and enduring appeal.
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible.
Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library.
Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Please note: As this series is not ELT material, these titles are not subject to discount.
1: Beginnings
2: Schoolrooms, science, female intuition
3: A life in poetry
4: Poetry at last: Troilus and Criseyde
5: Organizing, disorganizing: The Canterbury Tales
6: Something to believe in
7: Performance and new Chaucers
Timeline: a well-documented life
Further Reading
Index
Originally writing over 600 years ago, Geoffrey Chaucer is today enjoying a global renaissance. Why do poets, translators, and audiences from so many cultures, from the mountains of Iran to the islands of Japan, find Chaucer so inspiring? In part this is down to the character and sheer inventiveness of Chaucer's work.
At the time Chaucer's writings were not just literary adventures, but also a means of convincing the world that poetry and science, tragedy and astrology, could all be explored through the English language. French was still England's aristocratic language of choice when Chaucer was born; Latin was used for university education, theological discussion, and for burying the dead. Could a hybrid tongue such as English ever generate great writing to compare with French and Latin? Chaucer, miraculously, believed that it could, through gradual expansion of expressiveness and scientific precision. He was never paid to do this; he was valued, rather, as a capable civil servant, regulating the export of wool and the building of seating for royal tournaments. Such experiences, however, fed his writing, leading him to achieve a range of social registers, from noble tragedy to barnyard farce, unrivalled for centuries. His tale-telling geography is vast, his fascination with varieties of religious belief endless, and his desire to voice female experience especially remarkable. Many Chaucerian poets and performers, today, are women. In this Very Short Introduction David Wallace introduces the life, performance, and poetry of Chaucer, and analyses his astonishing and enduring appeal.
Key Features
- Offers an engaging introduction to Geoffrey Chaucer's works, informed by his own life and the times he was writing in
- Analyses the lasting appeal of Chaucer's works, and considers their adaptations and performances through the centuries since they were written
- Draws out some of the most innovative features of Chaucer's work, such as his blend of genres and strong female voices, and discusses why these made his writing so unique
- Considers Chaucer as a playwright, writer, and poet, and discusses these seperate features of his work
- Previously published in hardback as Geoffrey Chaucer: A New Introduction
Series Description
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible.
Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library.
Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Please note: As this series is not ELT material, these titles are not subject to discount.
EASY ORDER FORM
PRICES LISTED INCLUDE CONSUMPTION TAX
Price Before Tax:
¥1,790