The Life & Times of Chaucer

by John Gardner

Overview

The pinnacle of Gardner’s medieval scholarship: a fascinating re-creation of the world of one of history’s greatest writers

In this exquisite biography, John Gardner brings to life Geoffrey Chaucer, illuminating his writings and their inspiration like never before. Through exhaustive research and expert storytelling, Gardner takes readers through Chaucer’s varied career—from writing The Canterbury Tales to performing diplomatic work at the Parliament—and creates a fully realized portrait of an author whose work would remake the English language forever.

 

Written with passion and insight, this a must-read for those interested in Chaucer and the medieval time period. 

 

This ebook features a new illustrated biography of John Gardner, including original letters, rare photos, and never-before-seen documents from the Gardner family and the University of Rochester Archives.

 

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781453203781
Publisher:	Open Road Media
Publication date:	09/21/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	406
Sales rank:	227,662
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

John Gardner (1933–1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed books include the novels Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as several works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was also a professor of medieval literature and a pioneering creative writing teacher whose students included Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson.

John Gardner (1933–1982) was born in Batavia, New York. His critically acclaimed books include the novels Grendel, The Sunlight Dialogues, and October Light, for which he received the National Book Critics Circle Award, as well as several works of nonfiction and criticism such as On Becoming a Novelist. He was also a professor of medieval literature and a pioneering creative writing teacher whose students included Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson.

Table of Contents

• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• ONE: Chaucer’s Ancestry and Some Remarks on Fourteenth-Century English History
• TWO: Chaucer’s Youth and Early Education—Life and the Specter of Death on the Ringing Isle (c. 1340-1357)
• THREE: Chaucer as Young Courtier, Soldier, and, in Some Sense, Lover (1357-1360)
• FOUR: Chaucer’s Further Education, a Summary of Some Fourteenth-Century Ideas of Great Importance to Chaucer, and the Poet’s Marriage to Philippa Roet—Speculations and Scurrilous Gossip (1360-1367)
• FIVE: Significant Moments and Influences: Pedro the Cruel, Two Deaths, that Shameless Woman and Wanton Harlot Alice Perrers, and Italian Artistic Humanism (1367-1373)
• SIX: Chaucer’s Adventures as Celebrated Poet, Civil Servant, and Diplomat in the Declining Years of King Edward III (1374-1377), with Some Remarks on Chaucer’s Honesty and Comments on his Art
• SEVEN: Life During the Minority of Richard II—The Peasants’ Revolt and Its Aftermath (1377-c. 1385), with More Scurrilous Gossip
• EIGHT: The Rise of Gloucester and Chaucer’s Fortunes as a Royalist in Evil Times (c. 1385-1389)
• NINE: The Deaths of Gloucester, John of Gaunt, and the Hero of this Book
• APPENDIX: The Pronunciation of Chaucer’s Middle English
• Notes
• Index
• A Biography of John Gardner