chaucer born geoffroy de chaucer - last name means shoemaker in french
family rose above french origins, had connections with royalty
don't know a whole lot about him
he was born in london
no exact birth date
well educated
in wine trade
went to france often
often took in boarders to earn more money
wanted more out of life than a monk could get
started writing while young
soldier during 1359
taken prisoner and ransomed, probably read boethius during this time
married, had good reputation, made lots of friends
wife was nobly born
charge of rape against him dismissed
well liked by king edward III, was given lifetime pension
traveled abroad
worked in customs office
write troilus and criseyde, love conquers all
wife died, started to run out of money, moved to kent
lived into early 70s
buried at poet's corner at westminster abbey
sequence of tales opens with knight's tale (like the movie), truth, honor, generosity, courtesy. knight is modest, though knightly, written as high literature
followed by miller's tale
wife of bath has the longest prologue "alison" means married woman, john means husband
her first marriage was at 12, all her husbands have died
she asks, what do women want?
women want maistrie, who wears the pants in the house?
going over story quickly...the prologue is 25 pages